Mission type | Weather satellite |
---|---|
Operator | EUMETSAT/ESA |
COSPAR ID | 2002-040B |
SATCAT no. | 27509 |
Mission duration | ≥ 14 years |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | MSG |
Manufacturer | Alcatel Space |
Launch mass | 2,040 kilograms (4,500 lb) |
Power | 600 watts |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 28 August 2002, 22:45:00 UTC |
Rocket | Ariane 5G V155 |
Launch site | Kourou ELA-3 |
Contractor | Arianespace |
End of mission | |
Disposal | raised 740km above Geostationary Ring, spin reduced to 20rpm, propulsion systems passivated, electronics deactivated |
Deactivated | October 2022 |
Last contact | 13 October 2022 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Geostationary |
Longitude | 3.4° West (2004-2008) 9.5° East (2008-2013) 3.5° East (2013-2016) 41.5° East (2016-2022) |
Period | 24 hours |
Instruments | |
DCS (Data Collection Service) GEOSAR (Geostationary Search and Rescue) GERB (Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget) SEVIRI (Spinning Enhanced Visible Infra-Red Imager) | |
Meteosat 8 is a weather satellite, also known as MSG 1. The Meteosat series are operated by EUMETSAT under the Meteosat Transition Programme (MTP) and the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) program. Notable for imaging the first meteor to be predicted to strike the Earth, 2008 TC3. [1] Launched 28 Aug 2002 by an Ariane V155, this European Meteorology satellite is in a Geostationary orbit.
While Meteosat 8 meteorological instruments are working, solid state power amplifier SSPA-C failed in October 2002.
On 22 May 2007, the satellite experienced an unexpected orbit change. This was initially assessed as due to a hit by an unknown object, but that was later assessed not to be credible. [2] The thermal protection was damaged at the same time as the orbit change. Subsequent investigation assessed the Meteosat-8 spinning spacecraft's orbit change due to the mass release of thermal covering whose attachment failed. Meteosat-8 is still operating, and as of April 2013 is providing a backup capability to the Meteosat-10 primary 0-degree Full Earth Scan Service and also a backup to the Meteosat-9 Rapid Scan Service over Europe.
In May 2012 Meteosat-8 switched to operating in an Earth Sensor Mode due to a problem with the Sun sensor data on board. After modifying the ground image processing system the Rapid Scan Service image quality was restored back to nominal. [3]
On 29 June 2016, EUMETSAT approved the proposal of relocating Meteosat-8 to 41.5°E, for the continuation of the Indian Ocean Data Coverage (IODC), replacing Meteosat-7. [4] Meteosat-8 arrived at 41.5°E on 21 September. The distribution of IODC Meteosat-8 data, in parallel to Meteosat-7 data, started on 20 October. [5] On 1 February 2017, Meteosat-8 replaced Meteosat-7 as the official EUMETSAT geostationary satellite for the Indian Ocean. [6] [7] [8]
Meteosat-8 had used up most of its available fuel by 2020, leaving the remaining fuel to be used for safe removal to an altitude 740km above the geostationary ring and slowing the satellite's spin rate. Although not designed to comply with the more recent ISO-24113 guidelines for space debris mitigation, EUMETSAT chose to do so in the case of Meteosat-8 as it had done so the year before for the polar-orbiting Metop-A. Meteosat-8 was finally decommissioned in October 2022 after twenty years in orbit. [9]
A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit 35,786 km (22,236 mi) in altitude above Earth's equator, 42,164 km (26,199 mi) in radius from Earth's center, and following the direction of Earth's rotation.
An Earth observation satellite or Earth remote sensing satellite is a satellite used or designed for Earth observation (EO) from orbit, including spy satellites and similar ones intended for non-military uses such as environmental monitoring, meteorology, cartography and others. The most common type are Earth imaging satellites, that take satellite images, analogous to aerial photographs; some EO satellites may perform remote sensing without forming pictures, such as in GNSS radio occultation.
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), operated by the United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service division, supports weather forecasting, severe storm tracking, and meteorology research. Spacecraft and ground-based elements of the system work together to provide a continuous stream of environmental data. The National Weather Service (NWS) and the Meteorological Service of Canada use the GOES system for their North American weather monitoring and forecasting operations, and scientific researchers use the data to better understand land, atmosphere, ocean, and climate dynamics.
A weather satellite or meteorological satellite is a type of Earth observation satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth. Satellites can be polar orbiting, or geostationary.
The Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget (GERB) is an instrument aboard EUMETSAT's Meteosat Second Generation geostationary satellites designed to make accurate measurements of the Earth radiation budget.
The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) is an intergovernmental organisation created through an international convention agreed by a current total of 30 European Member States.
The Meteosat series of satellites are geostationary meteorological satellites operated by EUMETSAT under the Meteosat Transition Programme (MTP) and the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) program.
EUMETCast is a method of disseminating various meteorological data operated by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). The main purpose is the dissemination of EUMETSAT's own data, but various data from other providers are broadcast as well. EUMETCast is a contribution to GEONETCast and IGDDS and provides data for GEOSS and GMES.
Satellite images are images of Earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world. Satellite imaging companies sell images by licensing them to governments and businesses such as Apple Maps and Google Maps.
The Meteosat visible and infrared imager is the scientific instrument package on board the seven Meteosat first-generation geostationary meteorological satellites. This instrument is capable of capturing images in the visible, infrared, and water vapor regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Metop is a series of three polar-orbiting meteorological satellites developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and operated by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). The satellites form the space segment component of the overall EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS), which in turn is the European half of the EUMETSAT / NOAA Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS). The satellites carry a payload comprising 11 scientific instruments and two which support Cospas-Sarsat Search and Rescue services. In order to provide data continuity between Metop and NOAA Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES), several instruments are carried on both fleets of satellites.
Sentinel-3 is an Earth observation heavy satellite series developed by the European Space Agency as part of the Copernicus Programme. It currently consists of 2 satellites: Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B. After initial commissioning, each satellite was handed over to EUMETSAT for the routine operations phase of the mission. Two recurrent satellites— Sentinel-3C and Sentinel-3D— will follow in approximately 2024 and 2028 respectively to ensure continuity of the Sentinel-3 mission.
GOES-7, known as GOES-H before becoming operational, is an American satellite. It was originally built as a weather satellite, and formed part of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system. Originally built as a ground spare, GOES-H was launched in 1987 due to delays with the next series of satellites. It was operated by NOAA until 1999, before being leased to Peacesat, who use it as a communications satellite. As of 2009, it was operational over the Pacific Ocean, providing communications for the Pacific Islands. On April 12, 2012, the spacecraft was finally decommissioned and moved to a graveyard orbit.
Elektro-L No.1, also known as Geostationary Operational Meteorological Satellite No.2 or GOMS No.2, is a Russian geostationary weather satellite which was launched in 2011. The first Elektro-L spacecraft to fly, it became the first Russian geostationary weather satellite to be launched since Elektro No.1 in 1994.
ATS-1 was an experimental geostationary satellite, launched in 1966. Though intended as a communications satellite rather than as a weather satellite, it carried the Spin Scan Cloud Camera developed by Verner E. Suomi and Robert Parent at the University of Wisconsin. After entering an orbit at 23,000 mi (37,000 km) above Earth, initially in orbit over Ecuador, it transmitted weather images from the Western Hemisphere, as well as other data, to ground stations, including well as video feeds for television broadcasting. It took one of the first pictures of the Earth's full-disk, on December 11, 1966.
"For the first time," historians would note later, "rapid-imaging of nearly an entire hemisphere was possible. We could watch, fascinated, as storm systems developed and moved and were captured in a time series of images. Today such images are an indispensable part of weather analysis and forecasting."
Himawari 8 (ひまわり8号) is a Japanese weather satellite, the 8th of the Himawari geostationary weather satellites operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency. The spacecraft was constructed by Mitsubishi Electric with assistance from Boeing, and is the first of two similar satellites to be based on the DS2000 satellite bus. Himawari 8 entered operational service on 7 July 2015 and is the successor to MTSAT-2 which was launched in 2006.
Sentinel-4 is a European Earth observation mission developed to support the European Union Copernicus Programme for monitoring the Earth. It focuses on monitoring of trace gas concentrations and aerosols in the atmosphere to support operational services covering air-quality near-real time applications, air-quality protocol monitoring and climate protocol monitoring. The specific objective of Sentinel-4 is to support this with a high revisit time over Europe.
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The AN/UMQ-13(V) system or MARK IVB, is a meteorological data station that is owned and operated by the United States Air Force. This system allows meteorologists from around the globe to analyze and forecast meteorological data from polar orbiting satellites belonging to, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP). The MARK IVB also uses geostationary orbiting satellites to include Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES), Japan's Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS), and Meteosat which is operated in cooperation between EUMETSAT and the European Space Agency.