The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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The third in the series of MetOp satellites is scheduled for launch on 7 November from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou. In this special edition of Earth from Space, ESA’s MetOp-C project manager, Stéfane Carlier, talks about this latest polar-orbiting weather satellite and how its range of instruments provide data on a host of atmospheric variables such as temperature and humidity. These data are used largely for numerical weather prediction – the basis for weather forecasting. They also contribute to climate research.
The MetOp programme is a joint undertaking between ESA and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, Eumetsat. The programme is also Europe’s contribution to a cooperative venture with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA. The satellites work in conjunction with the NOAA satellite system. Not only do the MetOp and NOAA satellites fly in complementary orbits to offer maximum coverage, some of the instruments are common to both missions.