MetOp

MetOp is a European meteorological satellite program designed to provide high-quality observations of the Earth's atmosphere and surface for weather forecasting and climate research. It is operated by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) and is part of a global system of operational meteorological satellites. The MetOp satellites are in sun-synchronous, near-polar orbits, allowing them to pass over any given region at roughly the same local solar time each day. This enables consistent monitoring of atmospheric temperature, humidity, trace gases, and surface wind.

The program's payloads combine infrared and microwave sounding instruments, imaging instruments, and a scatterometer to measure wind speeds over the oceans. Notable instruments include infrared sounders that retrieve vertical temperature profiles, microwave sounders for atmospheric moisture, and the ASCAT scatterometer for ocean winds, as well as ozone and trace-gas monitoring instruments. Together, the data support numerical weather prediction and climate monitoring, distributed to national meteorological services and international partners.

The MetOp series consists of three operational satellites, MetOp-A, MetOp-B, and MetOp-C, launched in the 2000s and 2010s, providing continuing coverage and data continuity as part of Europe’s contribution to global weather observation.

A follow-on program, MetOp-SG, is in development to extend and enhance capabilities, with a pair of satellites per platform intended to replace the current MetOp fleet and introduce advances in sounding and imaging.