ESA begins final preparations for MetOp-SG-B1 weather satellite launch

The European Space Agency has begun preparing its MetOp-SG-B1 weather satellite for launch, taking it out of storage in French Guiana for its final checks. The spacecraft is due to fly on an Ariane 6 rocket towards the end of the year and is intended to strengthen observations used in weather forecasting and climate research.

The satellite arrived in Kourou on 16 October after travelling from Bordeaux aboard the sail-assisted vessel Canopée. It had been kept in its transport container in controlled conditions, including a steady temperature of 22°C, until the launch campaign began.

Over the coming weeks, engineers plan to switch on the spacecraft, carry out checks and fuel it before enclosing it in the rocket’s fairing and taking it to the launch pad. The launch date has not been specified beyond the end-of-year target.

Once in orbit, MetOp-SG-B1 will join its counterpart, MetOp-SG-A1, launched in August 2025. The two satellites carry complementary instruments to measure atmospheric and environmental conditions, including temperature, precipitation, clouds and winds. ESA says the wider mission is planned around three successive pairs of satellites to maintain meteorological data flows for more than 20 years.