Airbus-built MetOp-SG Satellite Heads to Kourou for 2025 Launch
The first of the Airbus built MetOp-SG weather and climate monitoring satellites has left Toulouse and is currently en route to Kourou, French Guiana, aboard the Canopée transport ship. Scheduled…
The first of the Airbus built MetOp-SG weather and climate monitoring satellites has left Toulouse and is currently en route to Kourou, French Guiana, aboard the Canopée transport ship. Scheduled for launch in August 2025 on an Ariane 6 rocket, the MetOp Second Generation-A1 satellite was built for EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites).
The MetOp-SG program includes six satellites in total: three pairs, each consisting of one A-type and one B-type satellite. A-type satellites carry instruments for atmospheric sounding and imaging, while B-types focus on microwave imaging and radar observation. These satellites will ensure the continuation of essential MetOp data through the mid-2040s.
“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.
MetOp-SG A1’s payload features several critical instruments including the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer – Next Generation (IASI-NG), developed by Airbus in partnership with the French space agency CNES. It also includes METimage, developed with the German Space Agency (DLR), the Microwave Sounder (built by Airbus in Portsmouth, UK), the Radio Occultation Sounder, and the Multi-Viewing, Multi-Channel, Multi-Polarisation Imager designed to enhance aerosol and cloud monitoring. Additionally, it carries the Copernicus Sentinel-5 mission payload, which will deliver precise data on atmospheric composition and trace gases.
MetOp Second Generation satellites are the result of collaborations between EUMETSAT, ESA, the European Union’s Copernicus program, CNES, DLR, and an industrial team led by Airbus Defence and Space. The A-type satellites are assembled in Toulouse, France, and the B-types in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Each satellite is designed for a nominal operational lifespan of 7.5 years, offering full program coverage over 21 years.
Ariane 6, developed under ESA leadership with ArianeGroup as prime contractor, will launch the satellite. Arianespace will manage launch operations from the Guiana Space Centre, handling integration and orbital deployment of MetOp-SG A1.
