Satellite for European weather forecasts flies into space

Satellite for European weather forecasts flies into space Keystone-SDA

The new weather satellite Meteosat Third Generation Sounder-1 (MTG-S1) lifted off on board a Falcon 9 rocket from the US company SpaceX on Tuesday. It is expected to provide more precise weather forecasting.

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An instrument for monitoring air pollution was also launched into space together with the satellite from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The European Space Agency (Esa) announced that the launch had been successful.

The spacecraft, developed by Esa on behalf of weather satellite operator Eumetsat, will “revolutionise weather forecasting and climate observation in Europe”, said Tobias Guggenmoser from Esa. As an Eumetsat member, Switzerland will also utilise the satellite’s data.

The infrared sounder will collect data on temperature, humidity and trace gases at an altitude of around 36,000 kilometres. This can help to recognise and predict rapidly developing and potentially dangerous weather patterns. “By recording 1,700 infrared channels every half hour, we can slice the sky into layers (…) so that meteorologists can see exactly what is happening at every altitude,” explained Guggenmoser.

The satellite, whose main contractor is the company OHB Bremen, is a major step forward for Esa. Europe previously only had imagers, which are satellites with imaging instruments, but not sounders with spectroscopic instruments for geostationary weather satellites.

More precise warnings, more protection, less damage

Before MTG-S1 lifted off into space, an imager from the satellite series had already been launched into space. Another is due to follow next year to complete the constellation. Together, these three instruments should be able to see the formation of thunderstorms before clouds even form and thus provide more precise storm warnings. The hope is that communities will be able to better prepare for severe storms in the future, resulting in less damage and fewer deaths.

The newly launched missile also carries the Sentinel-4 satellite of the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) for monitoring air quality. The instrument analyses the composition of the atmosphere, for example with regard to ozone and nitrogen dioxide, and is intended to provide more precise information on air pollution in Europe. Switzerland does not use the data from the Copernicus satellite as it is not a member.

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

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