This area provides material covering many aspects of the satellite, its instrumentation and general aspects of the programme, ground and data distribution systems.
Launch and Orbit
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Metop-B Lift-Off
Metop-B lifts-off the launch pad at Baikonur, Kazakhstan
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Metop-B launch progress report
An update from Marc Cohen, Associate Director for Low Earth Orbit Programmes, on progress towards the launch of EUMETSAT's Metop-B polar orbiting satellite
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Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP)
This video shows the launch, separation and orbital orientation sequence of Metop satellites
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Metop polar orbital path
This video outlines the orbital path of Metop satellites
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Polar orbit principle
Explains how polar orbiting satellites build up a picture of global conditions from consecutive passes, or 'swaths', as the Earth rotates
interviews
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The importance of Metop-B
In this Interview Alain Ratier, Director-General of EUMETSAT explains the importance of the launch and of the EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS) to Europe and our partners worldwide.
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EPS programme overview
Marc Cohen, Associate Director for Low Earth Orbit Programmes, provides an operational overview of the EPS programme and explains the part Metop-B will play
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Metop satellite instrumentation
In this interview, EPS Programme Scientist Dieter Klaes outlines the instrumentation aboard the EPS Metop satellites
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Use of EPS programme data
Florence Rabier, of Météo France discusses how data from the EPS programme is being used to advance meteorology around the world
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Use of EPS programme data
In this interview, Lars Breivik, of Met. No illustrates how Metop is assisting scientists observe and predict changes to the Earth's climate
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Launch and Early Orbit Phase
In this interview, Spacecraft Operations Engineer Frank Perlik describes the crucial Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) or EUMETSAT's Metop polar orbiting satellites.
Satellite and Instruments
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Metop Instruments Overview
This video shows where specific instruments are located aboard Metop
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ASCAT
The Advanced SCATterometer (ASCAT) instrument measures wind speed and direction over the oceans
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IASI
The Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) provides temperature and water vapour profiles of the troposphere and lower stratosphere
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GOME2
The Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) provides a detailed picture of the atmospheric content of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, water vapour, oxygen, bromine oxide and other trace gases, as well as aerosols
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GRAS
The GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) Receiver for Atmospheric Sounding (GRAS) is a GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) receiver that operates as an atmospheric-sounding instrument
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MHS
The Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS) collects information on atmospheric ice, cloud cover and precipitation. Temperature information at the Earth's surface can also be determined
Ground system and data distribution
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Metop data delivery
This video illustrates how Metop data is downloaded and distributed to our partners NOAA in the US and our European SAF network.
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EUMETSAT ground system and data distribution
An introduction to the EUMETSAT ground system, including its data distribution mechanisms
