Metop
The Metop-A, B and C polar orbiting meteorological satellites make up the EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS) series.
Last Updated
20, November 2020
EPS is the European contribution to the Initial Joint Polar System Agreement (IJPS), an agreement between EUMETSAT and NOAA. The Metop satellites fly in a Low Earth orbit corresponding to local 'morning', while the US is responsible for 'afternoon' coverage.
The series provides data for both operational meteorology and climate studies. The combination of instruments on board the Metop satellites have remote sensing capabilities to observe the Earth by day and night, as well as under cloudy conditions.
Metop-A (launched on 19 October 2006), Metop-B (launched on 17 September 2012) and Metop-C (launched on 7 November 2018) are in a lower polar orbit, at an altitude of 817 kilometres.
