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Ariane 6 Completes Second Commercial Flight, Deploys MetOp-SG-A1 Weather Satellite

This flight cements Europe’s independent launch capacity by showcasing a maturing operational cadence.

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Overview

  • The launcher lifted off from Kourou at 21:37 local time on August 12 and inserted MetOp-SG-A1 into a sun-synchronous orbit roughly 800 km above Earth.
  • Built by Airbus Defence and Space for EUMETSAT under an ESA contract, the four-tonne satellite carries six instruments designed for advanced climate and weather monitoring.
  • IASI-NG, the mission’s infrared sounder, delivers twice the precision of its predecessor by measuring atmospheric temperature profiles, water vapor and 16 essential climate variables.
  • Copernicus-programme payload Sentinel-5 was also deployed to bolster surveillance of major atmospheric pollutants and stratospheric ozone.
  • With 32 flights now on its order book, Ariane 6 is set for years of routine launches from the Guiana Space Centre as Europe shores up autonomous access to orbit.