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| New European satellite key for weather, climate prediction. | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 17 Sep 2012, 09:19 PM (47 Views) | |
| Audi-Tek | 17 Sep 2012, 09:19 PM Post #1 |
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New European satellite key for weather, climate prediction.![]() he European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) launched its second of three polar-orbiting satellites today. Information from Metop-B will complement data provided by NOAA's polar-orbiting Today’s launch of a European environmental satellite from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan will enable NOAA to continue capturing data that feed sophisticated, numerical prediction models used to forecast weather and climate in the United States, according to the agency’s top satellite official. The Metop-B spacecraft is the second of three polar-orbiting satellites launched by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), a NOAA partner. “This launch is another milestone in a partnership that continues our wide-ranging ability to detect the early signs of severe weather, climate shifts and distress signals from emergency beacons in the U.S., Europe and around the world,” said Mary Kizca, assistant administrator for NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service. In 1998, the two agencies forged a partnership, known as the U.S. – European Initial Joint Polar System, (IJPS), in which NOAA and EUMETSAT agreed to fly sensors on each agency’s respective polar-orbiting satellites that circle the globe 14 times a day, but in different orbits. The Metop satellites fly in the mid-morning orbit, and NOAA’s polar-orbiting environmental satellites, which are the U.S. contribution to the IJPS agreement, circle the Earth in the afternoon orbit. Together, EUMETSAT’s Metop satellites and NOAA’s polar-orbiting spacecraft provide the majority of global data for numerical weather forecasts, and provide observations that help predict environmental phenomena, including: wildfires, volcanic eruptions, snow cover, sea ice, vegetation health, sea surface temperatures, and disaster mitigation. Each agency’s satellites carry similar sets of sensors -- some used for forecasting, others for assessing surface conditions. The Metop satellites include advanced sensors for greater accuracy of atmospheric temperature, water vapor and ozone soundings, which are vital for improving weather forecasts, and special sensors for search and rescue operations. NOAA has comparable sounding capabilities on its next-generation of polar-orbiting satellites, the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). NOAA provides five of the joint instruments on board the satellites and EUMETSAT developed and provides NOAA with the Microwave Humidity Sounder, which monitors water content in clouds and estimates the rate of precipitation. NASA, on behalf of NOAA, manages the development, testing and integration of the five U.S. instruments that are flying on Metop-B. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Source .............
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| Audi-Tek | 19 Sep 2012, 05:18 PM Post #2 |
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New European weather satellite reaches orbit. Euro space agencies forecast better forecasts. The European Space Agency (ESA) and European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) have announced the successful launch of a new weather satellite expected to provide a major source of data for weather forecasts. Metop-B, as the bird is known, ascended on a Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome last Monday and entered its expected orbit 820km above Earth. EUMETSAT says it is now poised to take control of the satellite, before putting it through six months of tests it says are “aimed at checking the performance of the satellite in orbit and validating all products extracted from its observations.” The new satellite replaces Metop-A, which is was launched in 2006 but is now running low on fuel, which makes it hard to make optimal observations. The satellite was nonetheless responsible for 26% of the data used to create numerical weather predictions. That made Metop-A the single largest source of data for forecasters, with the higher-altitude Meteosat, US satellites and sources like weather balloons also helping out. Metop-B will operate while its predecessor still works, but as it is newer is expected to generate better data and therefore help meteorologists to create better forecasts. A third Metop satellite, Metop-C, will launch in 2017. The Metops are part of a collaboration between US and European space agencies that sees both use some of the same instruments in their respective weather satellites. Data is also shared. The new Metop is not the only new European space effort of recent weeks, as the new SPOT 6 earth obseervation satellite has also gone aloft. Built by Astrium and launched from India, the new satellite will operate in a constellation with with the forthcoming Spot 7 and Pleaides to collectively deliver the capability to view any spot on earth to a resolution of about 50cm. Spot 6 was launched on September 9th and has lower-resolution kit aboard, but has already beamed back pictures such as the view of Bora Bora below. ® ![]() Bora Bora as seen from the new Spot 6 earth observation satellite. Image copyright Atrium. Source .............. ![]() |
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8:08 PM Jul 11