Overview

• Wednesday’s Ariane 6 launch from Kourou delivered the four-tonne Metop-SG A1 into its 800 km sun-synchronous orbit as Europe’s first node in the U.S.-led Joint Polar System.
• Six advanced sounders and imaging instruments—including the Copernicus Sentinel-5 air-quality sensor—will offer twice the precision of predecessor systems in measuring key atmospheric and surface parameters.
• Upgraded ground stations such as the Exeter dish will receive the higher-frequency data to refine short- and medium-range forecasts through models run by the Met Office and other national services.
• The Metop Second Generation programme will roll out six polar-orbit satellites over the next 15 years, replacing aging platforms and expanding global coverage.
• EUMETSAT director general Phil Evans said the mission will deliver earlier warnings of storms, heatwaves and other extreme events to save lives and protect infrastructure.