Andrew Yee
January 26th 06, 04:15 PM
Media Relations
EUMETSAT
Darmstadt, Germany
Contact:
press @ eumetsat.int , tel: +49 6151 807 839
January 24, 2006
MSG-2 captures first image
The capturing of MSG-2's first image of the Earth is a major step in a
series of complex operations undertaken since the successful launch on 21
December 2005. Once operational, MSG-2, the second in the new generation
of sophisticated weather satellites, will secure the high availability and
reliability of the Meteosat Second Generation System.
The two-satellite system is required by the Meteorological Services of the
EUMETSAT Member States for the reliable provision of weather forecasts and
meteorological products to the public.
Since 2 January the EUMETSAT team has moved the satellite to 6.5 West
where it is now undergoing rigorous tests. Over the next months the SEVIRI
imager on board the satellite and the ground based image processing system
will be tuned to its full performance. The operational dissemination
trials will start in spring, involving a step-by-step increase of its
content via EUMETSAT's satellite broadcasting system EUMETCast. This will
allow the users to set up their reception systems and to have early access
to the pre-operational MSG-2 data. The satellite will remain at its
commissioning position of 6.5 deg West until the start of the full
operational service this summer when it will be re-located to 0 deg.
Through the 12 spectral bands of its radiometer, the Spinning Enhanced
Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI), the MSG System delivers major
improvements, e.g. Nowcasting applications and Numerical Weather
Prediction in addition to the provision of important data for climate and
environmental monitoring and research.
SEVIRI delivers images of the weather patterns with a resolution of 3 km,
plus atmospheric pseudo-sounding and thermal information. The High
Resolution Visible (HRV) channel even has a resolution of 1 km. The full
disc view allows frequent sampling, every 15 minutes, enabling monitoring
of rapidly evolving events. This aids the weather forecaster in the swift
recognition and prediction of dangerous weather phenomena. These include
thunderstorms, heavy rain, fog and explosive development of small but
intense depressions, which can lead for example to devastating windstorms.
In addition to the SEVIRI, the MSG satellites carry the Geostationary
Earth Radiation Budget (GERB) instrument, which provides valuable data on
reflected solar radiation and thermal radiation emitted by the Earth and
atmosphere. Besides these two instruments, MSG satellites carry a
comprehensive communications payload serving the needs of satellite
operation, data communication and user data dissemination. The Data
Collection Service (DCS) to relay in situ observations from Data
Collection Platforms (DCP) is also included in this package, together with
the Search and Rescue transponder, which relays distress signals from
ships, aircraft and others.
To download the first MSG-2 image,
http://www.eumetsat.int/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=117&l=en
EUMETSAT
The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological
Satellites, is an intergovernmental organisation that establishes and
maintains operational meteorological satellites for 19 European States
(Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland,
Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom). EUMETSAT has signed
11 Cooperating State Agreements. Those with Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary,
Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and the Czech Republic have
entered into force whereas the Agreements with Serbia and Montenegro and
Iceland are to be ratified in the near future.
EUMETSAT is currently operating Meteosat-6, -7 and -8 over Europe and
Africa, and Meteosat-5 over the Indian Ocean.
The data, product and services from EUMETSAT's satellites make a
significant contribution to weather forecasting and to the monitoring of
the global climate.
EUMETSAT
Darmstadt, Germany
Contact:
press @ eumetsat.int , tel: +49 6151 807 839
January 24, 2006
MSG-2 captures first image
The capturing of MSG-2's first image of the Earth is a major step in a
series of complex operations undertaken since the successful launch on 21
December 2005. Once operational, MSG-2, the second in the new generation
of sophisticated weather satellites, will secure the high availability and
reliability of the Meteosat Second Generation System.
The two-satellite system is required by the Meteorological Services of the
EUMETSAT Member States for the reliable provision of weather forecasts and
meteorological products to the public.
Since 2 January the EUMETSAT team has moved the satellite to 6.5 West
where it is now undergoing rigorous tests. Over the next months the SEVIRI
imager on board the satellite and the ground based image processing system
will be tuned to its full performance. The operational dissemination
trials will start in spring, involving a step-by-step increase of its
content via EUMETSAT's satellite broadcasting system EUMETCast. This will
allow the users to set up their reception systems and to have early access
to the pre-operational MSG-2 data. The satellite will remain at its
commissioning position of 6.5 deg West until the start of the full
operational service this summer when it will be re-located to 0 deg.
Through the 12 spectral bands of its radiometer, the Spinning Enhanced
Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI), the MSG System delivers major
improvements, e.g. Nowcasting applications and Numerical Weather
Prediction in addition to the provision of important data for climate and
environmental monitoring and research.
SEVIRI delivers images of the weather patterns with a resolution of 3 km,
plus atmospheric pseudo-sounding and thermal information. The High
Resolution Visible (HRV) channel even has a resolution of 1 km. The full
disc view allows frequent sampling, every 15 minutes, enabling monitoring
of rapidly evolving events. This aids the weather forecaster in the swift
recognition and prediction of dangerous weather phenomena. These include
thunderstorms, heavy rain, fog and explosive development of small but
intense depressions, which can lead for example to devastating windstorms.
In addition to the SEVIRI, the MSG satellites carry the Geostationary
Earth Radiation Budget (GERB) instrument, which provides valuable data on
reflected solar radiation and thermal radiation emitted by the Earth and
atmosphere. Besides these two instruments, MSG satellites carry a
comprehensive communications payload serving the needs of satellite
operation, data communication and user data dissemination. The Data
Collection Service (DCS) to relay in situ observations from Data
Collection Platforms (DCP) is also included in this package, together with
the Search and Rescue transponder, which relays distress signals from
ships, aircraft and others.
To download the first MSG-2 image,
http://www.eumetsat.int/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=117&l=en
EUMETSAT
The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological
Satellites, is an intergovernmental organisation that establishes and
maintains operational meteorological satellites for 19 European States
(Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland,
Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom). EUMETSAT has signed
11 Cooperating State Agreements. Those with Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary,
Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and the Czech Republic have
entered into force whereas the Agreements with Serbia and Montenegro and
Iceland are to be ratified in the near future.
EUMETSAT is currently operating Meteosat-6, -7 and -8 over Europe and
Africa, and Meteosat-5 over the Indian Ocean.
The data, product and services from EUMETSAT's satellites make a
significant contribution to weather forecasting and to the monitoring of
the global climate.