This Paper provides an overview on the first results of the Metop-C satellite, third and last part of the series of three Metop-satellites of the EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS). EPS is the European contribution to the Polar Meteorological Satellite Observing System. It forms a part of the Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS), formed with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). The Metop-C satellite, launched on the 7 November 2018 from the Guyana Space Centre in Kourou, and is finalizing its commissioning activities. The Metop satellites were developed in co-operation with the European Space Agency (ESA). Seven meteorological instruments (among 10) are embarked on Metop-C satellites (eight on Metop-A and –B where the HIRS/4 instrument was embarked as well). These are the IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer), developed by CNES in co-operation with EUMETSAT, the AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) and AMSU-A (Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A) instruments, provided by NOAA, the Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS), developed by EUMETSAT and the GRAS (GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) Receiver for Atmospheric Sounding) instrument, the GOME-2 (Global Ozone Monitoring .-2) instrument and ASCAT (Advanced Scatterometer), developed by ESA as part of the space segment. Metop instrument data – in particular the sounding instruments - provide an essential contribution to global operational Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP). Climate monitoring and atmospheric composition monitoring and ocean and cryosphere observations are further application areas supported by Metop instrument data. Results from the commissioning phase and first application impacts will be presented. After its successful commissioning, there will be three Metop-satellites in orbit for about three years.
It is well known that the varying geometrical relationships between the Sun and the Earth throughout the year can affect to some degree the performance of the instruments on-board Earth orbiting satellites. Following the commissioning of MetOp-A, EUMETSAT and NOAA have continued monitoring the long term trends in in-orbit performance of AVHRR, HIRS and AMSU-A. The data acquired since the launch of the satellite has allowed studying how the yearly seasonal variations, as well as aging, have affected the instrument performance. This paper presents the evolution of the performance of the AVHRR, HIRS and AMSU-A for more than six years since the launch of the MetOp-A satellite, as well as the early performance results for MetOp-B.
Since October 2006 EUMETSAT is flying the first operational European meteorological polar orbiting satellite
Metop-A as the morning orbit part of the Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS) with the U.S. Metop-A is the first of a
series of three in the frame of the EUMETSAT Polar System and carries a payload of eight meteorological
instruments which provide inter alia sounding information for numerical weather prediction, ocean surface
information, information on ozone and atmospheric chemistry. Most of the planned products are now operational. In
addition, so called Day-2 products are developed or have already been developed. Such products include Soil
Moisture from the Advanced Scatterometer ASCAT, a Vegetation index from the AVHRR imager and polar cap
winds from AVHRR.
About two years after the launch the first of these products have become operational: The soil moisture. The paper
will discuss the first delivered Day-2 products and outline future development aspects. Future Day-2 products address
improved radio occultation with the GRAS instrument and synergistic use of instruments for trace gas observations.
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