MetOp-SG-A1 and Sentinel-5 being prepared for liftoff

With launch planned on 13 August 2025 CEST on an Ariane 6 rocket, the first MetOp Second Generation A-type satellite (MetOp-SG-A1), which is also equipped with the Copernicus Sentinel-5 instrument, is undergoing the final 'combined operations' phase at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. 

The MetOp-SG mission comprises three successive pairs of satellites to deliver data for weather forecasting and climate prediction for over 20 years. Working as a pair in polar orbit, the A-type and the B-type satellites are equipped with complementary suites of instruments to provide high-resolution measurements of temperature, precipitation, clouds, winds, and more.

The A-type satellites also carry the Copernicus Sentinel-5 spectrometer for the European Commission. This new instrument measure the distribution of atmospheric trace gases such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, formaldehyde, glyoxal, carbon monoxide, and methane, as well as aerosols and ultraviolet radiation.