The first documents for Europe’s MetOp Second Generation (MetOp SG) weather satellite mission were signed on 20 May 2014 by representatives from ESA and Airbus Defence and Space at the Berlin Air Show.
MetOp SG will comprise three pairs of satellites and will be launches starting 2021. They will follow a first generation of MetOp satellites: The first MetOp satellite, MetOp-A, was launched in 2006, followed by MetOp-B in 2012. MetOp-C will be added in 2018 to guarantee the continuous delivery of readings for medium- and long-term weather forecasting and for climate monitoring until the launch of the MetOp-SG satellites.
ESA explains on their website: "As with the first generation, MetOp-SG will deliver crucial information on atmospheric temperature and water profiles, cloud detection and analysis, and sea-surface temperature and winds, extending to trace gases and air quality." MetOp-SG is a collaborative project between ESA and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, Eumetsat.
