Metop-A

Metop-A carries instruments including the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI), the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), and the Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS). IASI is particularly notable as one of the most advanced atmospheric sounding instruments ever flown, measuring temperature and humidity with high spectral resolution. The satellite also carries the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) for tracking atmospheric composition.

Metop-A operates in a morning orbit crossing the equator around 9:30 AM local time, while the U.S. NOAA polar satellites historically flew in afternoon orbits, providing complementary global coverage. This morning-afternoon partnership between EUMETSAT's Metop satellites and NOAA's JPSS satellites ensures atmospheric soundings are collected at different times of day, improving numerical weather prediction. The partnership represents one of the most successful international collaborations in operational meteorology.

Metop-A was decommissioned in November 2021 after 15 years of operation, significantly exceeding its design lifetime. It was succeeded by Metop-B, launched in 2012, and Metop-C, launched in 2018, which continue the polar-orbiting weather observation program. The next generation of Metop satellites (Metop-SG) is planned for launch beginning in 2025.

Before Metop-A's launch in 2006, Europe relied primarily on geostationary satellites like the Meteosat series, which provide continuous views of one hemisphere but lack the global coverage of polar-orbiting satellites. Metop-A marked Europe's entry into operational polar-orbiting meteorology, a capability previously dominated by the United States. The satellite enabled EUMETSAT to contribute fully to the global observing system that underpins modern weather forecasting.