Europe Launches First MetOp-SG Weather Satellite with Sentinel-5 to Revolutionize Climate and Air Quality Monitoring

While much of Europe slows down for the August holiday season, the continent’s space industry is ramping up — sending cutting-edge satellites into orbit. On 13 August 2025, the first MetOp Second Generation (MetOp-SG) weather satellite, equipped with the advanced Copernicus Sentinel-5 instrument, launched aboard an Ariane 6 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The mission marks the start of a new era in global weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and air quality tracking from polar orbit.

A Major Step in Satellite-Based Climate and Weather Observation

The Ariane 6 launch took place at 02:37 CEST (21:37 local time, 12 August), delivering the four-tonne MetOp-SG-A1 into polar orbit. Two hours later, mission control confirmed solar array deployment, ensuring continuous power generation.

MetOp-SG is the successor to the original MetOp mission, promising higher-resolution data, faster updates, and expanded atmospheric measurements. Over the next two decades, six satellites will fly in three successive A-type and B-type pairs, each carrying complementary scientific instruments for comprehensive climate and weather data collection.

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European Collaboration Driving Innovation

The programme is a joint initiative between the European Space Agency (ESA) and EUMETSAT, with contributions from the European Commission, Airbus, CNES, and DLR. ESA designed and developed the satellites, while EUMETSAT manages launch services, ground systems, operations, and data delivery to meteorological agencies.

MetOp-SG-A1’s payload includes six cutting-edge instruments, notably the Sentinel-5 spectrometer for the Copernicus Earth observation programme. This technology will measure air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and methane — crucial for tracking climate change and improving air quality forecasts.

Critical for Climate Resilience and Public Safety

ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, emphasized that “timely and precise forecasting has never been more crucial,” citing the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. EUMETSAT Director General Phil Evans noted that storms, wildfires, and heatwaves have cost Europe hundreds of billions of euros and thousands of lives in the past four decades. The enhanced data from MetOp-SG will give national weather services more accurate tools to protect lives, property, and infrastructure.

Responsible Space Technology

Each MetOp-SG satellite is built with an active deorbiting system to prevent space debris, a first for ESA’s operational weather satellites. At the end of its mission, an onboard thruster will guide the satellite to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.

The A-type satellites, like MetOp-SG-A1, carry infrared and microwave sounders, imaging radiometers, and the Sentinel-5 spectrometer. B-type satellites will feature scatterometers, ice-cloud imagers, and advanced microwave sensors.

Global Coverage from Pole to Pole

MetOp-SG satellites operate in low-Earth polar orbit, scanning the entire planet every 24 hours. This data complements Europe’s Meteosat Third Generation geostationary satellites, which provide continuous monitoring of the same region from 36,000 km above the equator. Combined, the two satellite systems give meteorologists both global coverage and real-time regional updates.

Ariane 6: Europe’s Heavy-Lift Rocket

Standing over 60 metres tall, the Ariane 6 is designed for flexibility, capable of carrying a wide range of missions from low-Earth orbit to deep space. For this mission, the rocket used its two-booster configuration, with the Vulcain 2.1 main engine and P120C boosters providing initial thrust, followed by the Vinci-powered upper stage for precise orbital insertion. After deploying the satellite, the upper stage executed a deorbit burn to minimize space debris.

Looking Ahead

MetOp-SG-A1 will soon be joined by its counterpart, MetOp-SG-B1, scheduled for launch next year. Together, they will form the first operational pair, ushering in at least 20 years of enhanced weather prediction, climate analysis, and environmental monitoring for Europe and beyond.

As most of Europe enjoys the summer, its scientists and engineers are making sure that our skies — and the air we breathe — will be monitored with more precision than ever before.