Ariane 6 Rocket Launches European Weather Satellite
An Ariane 6 rocket successfully launched from the European spaceport in French Guyana on Wednesday, deploying the MetOp-SGA1 satellite designed to provide advanced warnings about extreme weather events, reports 24brussels.
As numerous European countries confront a severe heatwave, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) emphasized that the MetOp-SGA1 will facilitate earlier alerts necessary for safeguarding lives and properties against climatic extremes.
According to EUMETSAT, “Metop-SGA1 observations will help meteorologists improve short- and medium-term weather models that can save lives by enabling early warnings of storms, heatwaves, and other disasters, and help farmers to protect crops, grid operators to manage energy supply, and pilots and sailors to navigate safely.”
The rocket, transporting the four-tonne satellite, ascended to an 800-kilometer orbit from the Kourou space base. MetOp-SGA1 represents Europe’s initial contribution to the US-led Joint Polar System, which involves joint satellite deployments orbiting from pole to pole.
Equipped with six sophisticated monitoring instruments, the MetOp-SGA1 satellite boasts double the precision of its predecessor, IASI. It will track ocean and land temperatures, atmospheric water vapor and greenhouse gases, as well as desert dust concentrations and cloud cover.
“Extreme weather has cost Europe hundreds of billions euros and tens of thousands of lives over the past 40 years – storms like Boris, Daniel and Hans, record heatwaves and fierce wildfires are just the latest reminders,” stated Phil Evans, EUMETSAT’s director-general.
He further declared, “The launch of Metop-SGA1 is a major step forward in giving national weather services in our member states sharper tools to save lives, protect property, and build resilience against the climate crisis.”
This liftoff marks the third overall mission and the second commercial launch by Ariane 6 since its significantly delayed first flight in July of the previous year. The Ariane company announced plans for 32 launches from Kourou over the coming years, with an objective of achieving nine or ten launches annually.
