MetOp-C and its role within EUMETSAT’s polar orbiting series of satellites
- Paper number
IAC-16,B1,1,6,x33520
- Coauthor
Mr. Jan Svoboda, Eumetsat, Germany
- Coauthor
Dr. Marc Cohen, Eumetsat, Germany
- Year
2016
- Abstract
Polar orbiting satellites, due to their global coverage and of the variety of passive and active sensors that can be deployed from Low Earth Orbits, have the most significant positive impact on Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP). The Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS), shared by EUMETSAT and NOAA, currently accounts for around 45\% of the total error reduction on Day 1 forecasts achieved by all types of observation ingested in real-time by NWP models. This paper first describes the EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS), part of the IJPS, and it’s second generation successor (EPS-SG), which represents Europe's contribution to the future Joint Polar System (JPS), planned to be established together with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States. The paper later identifies the instrument payload of the MetOp satellites and its relationship with the payload of the MetOp-SG satellites. Following this, the functions and services provided by the EPS System and how the continuity will be ensured by the EPS-SG is explained, focusing on the EPS and EPS-SG programmes benefits to EUMETSAT Member States and beyond. Finally, the role of MetOp-C, last of the initial MetOp satellites, within the EPS programme as well as it’s importance in the transition to the EPS-SG programme is presented. Describing the roadmap to MetOp-C launch, planned for 2018, together with the foreseen multi-satellite operations in order to ensure the continuity of the operational data in the coming decade.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)