Ready for launch: Airbus ships state-of-the-art weather satellite
Europe’s next-generation weather and climate satellite is en route to its launch site, the latest step in a flagship space programme set to bolster global forecasting capabilities through the 2040s.
The MetOp-SG A1 satellite, developed by Airbus Defence and Space for EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), recently departed the Airbus cleanroom facility in Toulouse.
It is now aboard the hybrid-powered vessel “Canopée”, making its way across the Atlantic to the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The launch is currently targeted for August 2025 aboard an Ariane 6 rocket.
This satellite is the first in a six-strong constellation forming the MetOp Second Generation (MetOp-SG) programme, a collaborative initiative involving EUMETSAT, the European Space Agency (ESA), the EU’s Copernicus programme, and national space agencies CNES (France) and DLR (Germany).
Built in pairs, each MetOp-SG mission comprises an A-type and a B-type satellite, equipped with distinct but complementary instruments for atmospheric, microwave and radar observations.
Once fully operational, MetOp-SG will extend the critical Earth observation capabilities of the current MetOp series for at least another two decades.
The MetOp-SG A satellites are focused on atmospheric sounding and imaging, while the B satellites are tailored to support microwave-based sensing and radar-based Earth observation. The full system aims to enhance weather forecasting accuracy and underpin vital climate and air quality research.
“The MetOp Second Generation satellites will further enhance Europe’s leading position in meteorological analysis from space, and help deliver even more accurate weather forecasting to benefit everyone on Earth. Having designed and manufactured all three of the first generation MetOp satellites we are truly looking forward to the successful launch of the first in this vital series that will watch over our planet,” said Marc Steckling, head of Earth Observation, Science and Space Exploration at Airbus Defence and Space.
The MetOp-SG A1 satellite carries a formidable suite of instruments. These include the next-generation Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI-NG), developed with CNES, which is central to climate research, air quality tracking and operational forecasting.
The satellite is also fitted with METimage, a state-of-the-art visible and infrared imager from Germany’s DLR, as well as the Microwave Sounder, built at Airbus’s facility in Portsmouth, UK.
Other payloads include the Radio Occultation Sounder and the Multi-Viewing, Multi-Channel, Multi-Polarisation Imager, a brand-new tool designed to improve data on cloud and aerosol properties. Notably, the satellite also incorporates the Sentinel-5 payload under the EU’s Copernicus programme.
This instrument suite is tasked with monitoring atmospheric composition and tracking pollutants and greenhouse gases, using measurements across ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared and shortwave infrared wavelengths.
The development of the A1 satellite has involved extensive European industrial collaboration, with Airbus serving as prime contractor. The A-series satellites are being assembled in Toulouse, while the B-series are being built in Friedrichshafen, southern Germany.
Each satellite in the MetOp-SG programme is designed to operate for at least 7.5 years, allowing for overlapping missions that ensure uninterrupted data collection through 2045.
Launch operations will be conducted by Arianespace at the Guiana Space Centre. The launch provider will manage all integration steps and ensure safe deployment of the satellite aboard the Ariane 6, Europe’s next-generation heavy-lift launcher.
