https://spacewatch.global/tag/eumetsat/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Mon, 24 Aug 2026 09:17:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://spacewatch.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SpaceWatchGlobal-Sign-90x90.png https://spacewatch.global/tag/eumetsat/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/mtg-i2-launch-sends-ariane-6-to-geostationary-orbit-for-the-first-time/ Mon, 24 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76850 On 27 August, an Ariane 62 will carry Meteosat Third Generation Imager 2 from Kourou - the vehicle's first mission to geostationary transfer orbit and the farthest it has flown. MTG-I2 completes the first MTG family, delivering a rapid scan over Europe every 2.5 minutes and closing a programme that has occupied more than 2,000 people across 70 European companies.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/esa-awards-aeolus-2-wind-sensing-satellites-design-and-build-to-airbus/ Tue, 07 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75437 Airbus Defense and Space has signed the initial contract for the design and build of the Aeolus-2 wind sensing satellite from the European Space Agency (ESA). Aeolus-2 will follow the first Aeolus wind sensing satellite which Airbus also built and launched back in 2018. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/africas-new-meteorological-satellite-application-facility-amsaf-to-support-timely-weather-based-decision-making/ Tue, 19 May 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73993 Africa's new Meteorological Satellite Application Facility has launched in Addis Ababa to strengthen nowcasting capabilities across the continent.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/12/the-copernicus-sentinel-6b-satellite-returns-first-data-images-after-launching-last-month/ Wed, 17 Dec 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=69858 Copernicus Sentinel-6B, launched last month, has reached its orbit and delivered its first set of data, which show variations in sea level in the North Atlantic Ocean. This data underlines how the mission will continue to strengthen the long-term reference record of sea levels, a key parameter of climate change. The image is a combination of altimeter data from both the Sentinel-6 sea-level tracking satellites: Sentinel-6B and its twin, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, which was launched in 2020. The image shows the Gulf Stream current in the North Atlantic Ocean, off the eastern coasts of the US and Canada.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/11/the-copernicus-sentinel-6b-satellite-has-launched-to-continue-monitoring-earths-sea-levels/ Mon, 17 Nov 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=69031 The Copernicus Sentinel-6B satellite is circling Earth, ready to continue a decades-long mission to track the height of the planet’s seas, after launching earlier today, 17 November, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/10/sentinel-4-offers-first-glimpses-of-air-pollutants-after-launching-in-july/ Thu, 23 Oct 2025 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=68498 The Sentinel-4 mission has delivered its first images, highlighting concentrations of atmospheric nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone. Despite being preliminary, these images are a major milestone in Europe’s ability to monitor air quality all the way from geostationary orbit. Launched in July 2025, the Sentinel-4 ultraviolet–visible–near-infrared spectrometer is hosted on the first Meteosat Third Generation Sounder satellite. This dual-mission architecture allows for efficient use of the satellite, combining meteorological and atmospheric composition monitoring capabilities on a single platform.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/10/eumetsat-releases-new-metop-sga1-images-taken-by-new-multi-spectral-radiometer-payload/ Thu, 09 Oct 2025 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=68253 EUMETSAT has released the first Earth images from its METimage instrument on board the recently launched Metop-SGA1 satellite. These early teasers showcase the exquisite detail, true-to-life color, and data products that will ultimately support European weather services in improving forecasts that save lives, protect communities and benefit economies.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/10/arianespace-to-launch-eus-copernicus-sentinel-1d-satellite-on-november-4-aboard-ariane-6/ Tue, 07 Oct 2025 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=68211 Arianespace will launch the Sentinel-1D satellite on Ariane 6's third commercial mission from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana on November 4, 2025. The Sentinel-1D satellite is part of Copernicus, the Earth observation component of the European Union's Space Program. Sentinel-1D will carry advanced radar technology to provide an all-weather, day-and-night supply of imagery of the Earth's surface, delivering data essential to monitoring sea ice, track icebergs and glaciers, subsidence, and oil spills.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/09/eumetsats-metop-sga1-satellite-already-transmitting-instrument-data/ Wed, 03 Sep 2025 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=67480 Less than three weeks after Metop-SGA1's launch, the satellite has begun beaming data from two of its six instruments. The data from the Microwave Sounder (MWS) and Radio Occultation Sounder (RO) offer an early peek at the meteorological and climate insight that Metop-SGA1 will deliver.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/08/ariane-6-launches-metop-sga1-satellite-to-polar-orbit/ Wed, 13 Aug 2025 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=67081 Metop-SGA1 carrying the EU’s Copernicus Sentinel-5 mission has successfully lifted off on an Ariane-6 rocket in Kourou, French Guiana. As the first satellite in the EUMETSAT Polar System – Second Generation (EPS-SG) program, the launch marks a major step toward delivering more precise forecasts and earlier warnings to help protect lives and property from extreme weather.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/07/sentinel-6-ocean-guardian-satellite-slated-to-launch-in-november-2025/ Thu, 24 Jul 2025 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=66462 'Ocean Guardian', the second Sentinel-6 satellite is on its way to its launch site, with launch slated for November 2025, towards monitoring Earth’s rising oceans. Like its predecessor, this 1.5-ton satellite features a radar altimeter and an advanced microwave radiometer, continuing a legacy of satellite-based ocean measurements dating back to 1992.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/07/mtg-s1-completes-leop-as-eumetsat-assumes-control-of-the-spacecraft/ Mon, 21 Jul 2025 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=66383 Following MTG-S1’s successful launch, EUMETSAT has now assumed control of the spacecraft as it completes its launch and early operations phase (LEOP). This comes after more than two weeks of complex maneuvering, precise positioning and meticulous checks, with MTG-S1 now in orbit around 36,000km above the Equator. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/07/europe-launches-mtg-s1-and-sentinel-4-to-monitor-earths-atmosphere-from-geo-orbit/ Wed, 02 Jul 2025 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=66065 ESA and its partners have successfully launched the MTG-S1 satellite and Copernicus Sentinel-4 spectrometer on Tuesday, 1 July, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/06/from-climate-vigilance-to-strategic-autonomy-airbus-ships-metop-sg-a1-for-ariane-6-launch/ Mon, 09 Jun 2025 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=65680 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.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/02/space-cafe-clip-clean-room-visit-of-next-generation-weather-satellite-mtg-s/ Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=64097 In a clean room at OHB Bremen, Torsten Kriening interviews Ian Bennett, OHB Director of Earth Observation Systems, about the MTG-S satellite and its Infrared Sounder (IRS) instrument. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/01/eu-reinforces-eu-africa-partnership-with-e100-million-investment/ Thu, 30 Jan 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=63655 The European Commission has announced an "Africa-EU Space Partnership Programme," backed by a €100 million investment, which forms a critical part of the EU's Global Gateway strategy to deepen space cooperation between the EU and Africa.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/01/ariane-6-to-launch-esa-and-eumetsats-satellites-later-this-year/ Wed, 29 Jan 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=63633 Ariane 6 will launch ESA's Sentinel-1D in the second half of 2025 and EUMETSAT’s Metop-SG-A1 satellite in August 2025 after signing two agreements with the key European institutions at the 17th European Space Conference. For the launch provider, this demonstrates the European Commission, ESA, and EUMETSAT's trust in Ariane 6.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/11/eumetsat-disseminates-first-operational-data-from-mtg-i1/ Mon, 04 Nov 2024 07:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=62100 EUMETSAT has begun the dissemination of data from the Lightning Imager instrument on the first of EUMETSAT’s Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) satellites towards its operational use.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/07/space-nuggets-27-2024-spacex-again-iss-outlook-and-eumetsat/ Sun, 07 Jul 2024 08:00:41 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=55964 ISS - From science to commercialisation , what is the path ahead? In this week’s nugget we explore the news of SpaceX being given the contract to de-orbit the ISS. But there is more to this story. As the space ecosystem shifts from doing only science-oriented missions to looking at various avenues to commercial space missions, who is at the forefront of these efforts? Can there ever truly be a commercial angle for space that goes beyond government contracts?]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/07/eumetsat-appoints-katsampani-as-director-of-administration/ Tue, 02 Jul 2024 06:00:14 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=55900 Europe’s operational satellite agency for weather and climate, EUMETSAT has appointed Eleni Katsampani as the organization’s next Director of Administration as of 1 July 2024. The satellite agency's 30-member-state Council made the decision at its 104th meeting in December 2023. In this new position, Katsampani will oversee the administration of the financial and human resources necessary for EUMETSAT and provide the organization with both a regulatory framework and an administrative infrastructure. ]]>