Europe's First
Polar-Orbiting Weather Satellite Ready For Launch
(16 October 2006) Following the roll out to the launch pad and erection at the launch tower at the weekend, MetOp is ready for launch at 18:28 CEST tomorrow from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
MetOp in vertical position. (courtesy: ESA - K. Büchler)
The launch of Europe's first polar-orbiting
weather satellite is set to make a major contribution to global weather
forecasting and climate monitoring.
The roll out to the launch pad and
erection of the Soyuz rocket at the launch tower took place on Saturday 14
October. Carried by train, the launcher left the hall where the
upper-composite, which comprises the MetOp satellite and the Fregat
upper-stage, had been integrated with the third-stage of the launch vehicle.
The train slowly pulled its cargo over to the launch pad where the rocket was
erected with the help of a huge hydraulic ram. The final countdown rehearsal
followed, confirming that the launch will go-ahead tomorrow.
MetOp being rolled out to the launch pad on 14 October 2006. (courtesy: ESA - K. Büchler)
Once launched, MetOp will be renamed 'MetOp-A' as it is the first in a series of three satellites developed as part of a joint undertaking between ESA and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), whereby MetOp forms the space segment of Eumetsat's Polar System (EPS). In addition, MetOp is the European contribution to a new co-operative venture with the American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), so that MetOp and NOAA satellites fly in complementary orbits to maximise the coverage area over which observations are made.
MetOp's Soyuz launcher being put into vertical position at the launch tower. (courtesy: ESA - K. Büchler)
MetOp is Europe's first polar-orbiting
satellite dedicated to operational meteorology and with its array of
sophisticated instruments, this weather satellite promises to provide data of
unprecedented accuracy and resolution on a whole host of different variables
such as atmospheric temperature and humidity, wind speed and direction over the
ocean, ozone and other trace gases, thus making a major contribution to global
weather forecasting and climate monitoring capabilities. The payload also
includes an instrument for data collection, an instrument to observe the
weather in space as well as a tracking system to aid search-and-rescue
operations.
At just over 4,000 kg, MetOp is the second largest
Earth-observation satellite built in Europe. Its launch tomorrow will mark a
new era in the field of meteorology by improving medium- to long-term weather
forecasting and climate monitoring whilst contributing to our understanding of
global change.
(source: ESA)