Arctic Weather Satellite and EPS-Sterna (ESA/EUMETSAT)
ESA's small Arctic Weather Satellite, launched in August 2024, paved the way for EPS-Sterna, a fleet of 20 satellites from 2029 (ESA, EUMETSAT).
Image: ESA (Arctic Weather Satellite, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO).
Last reviewed: 3 sources cited
A small satellite built in just three years proved Europe could watch Arctic weather far more often.
The Arctic Weather Satellite was conceived and deployed in just three years, on a tightly constrained budget (ESA).
Source: ESA, Arctic Weather Satellite paves way for constellation
Explain Like I'm 10
- Weather forecasts need measurements of the air: how warm, how wet, how cloudy.
- The Arctic has few weather stations, so satellites do much of the measuring there.
- A small test satellite worked so well that Europe is building a whole fleet of them.
The Five W's of the Arctic Weather Satellite
Who
The European Space Agency (ESA) built the prototype; EUMETSAT will run the EPS-Sterna constellation.
Source: ESA, Arctic Weather Satellite paves way for constellation
What
A 125 kg satellite with a 19-channel microwave radiometer that measures temperature and humidity in the atmosphere.
When
Launched on 16 August 2024. EUMETSAT aims to launch the first EPS-Sterna satellites in 2029.
Where
A 600 km sun-synchronous The curved path an object takes as it travels around a planet, moon or star, like a satellite circling Earth. Glossary, controlled from Tromsø and Svalbard in Norway.
Why
More frequent measurements over the Arctic and the whole globe mean better short-range forecasts.
Source: EUMETSAT, Europe backs transformative polar satellite constellation
Connected Solutions
- GCOM-W "SHIZUKU" (JAXA) Watches Arctic sea ice with the largest antenna on any Earth observation satellite.
Impact Statement
Agency solution · active, constellation from 2029
EUMETSAT projects EPS-Sterna data to provide at least €30 billion in economic value to Europe over the programme's lifetime (EUMETSAT figure).
Source: EUMETSAT, Europe backs transformative polar satellite constellation
For Further Information: EUMETSAT, Europe backs transformative polar satellite constellation
Each EPS-Sterna satellite will carry identical microwave sounders in different orbital planes, giving near-global coverage in less than five hours (EUMETSAT).
How This Saves People & the Planet
For People
Better forecasts of storms and severe weather help people prepare, in the Arctic and well beyond it (EUMETSAT).
Source: EUMETSAT, Europe backs transformative polar satellite constellation
For Nature
Watching temperature, humidity and clouds over the poles helps scientists follow how the Arctic is changing (ESA).
Source: ESA, Arctic Weather Satellite paves way for constellation
Learn More About the Arctic Weather Satellite
Want to go deeper? ESA has the full mission story.
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