MetOp-A

ESA and EUMETSAT jointly developed the MetOp-A satellite, which was launched in October 2006 and defines the space segment of the EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS). Two additional platforms of the MetOp series are to follow at 4-5 year intervals, thereby assuring high-quality data until at least 2020. This is also facilitated because the MetOp series satellites are equipped with almost identical instruments. Together with the NOAA-18 satellite, which circles the earth in an afternoon polar orbit—the local overflight time in the descending node is 2 pm—MetOp-A makes it possible to comprehensively monitor the weather worldwide from earth orbit.