The first MetOp Second Generation (MetOp-SG A1) weather and climate monitoring satellite, built by Airbus Defence and Space, has left Toulouse en route to the Guiana Space Centre for launch aboard Europe’s Ariane 6. Scheduled for liftoff in August 2025, the mission marks a critical milestone not only in European meteorological capabilities but in the region’s pursuit of sovereign, dual-use space infrastructure amid intensifying climate challenges and geopolitical fragmentation.