| definition
| - The MetOp-A satellite, developed by a consortium of European companies led by
the main contractor EADS-Astrium, France, builds on the heritage gained from a
successful series of European satellites, including the French Space Agency's
(CNES) SPOT and ESA'S ERS and Envisat.
The satellite consists of a Solar Array and two modules: the Payload Module
(PLM) and the Service Module (SVM). The PLM accommodates the whole suite of
instruments and associated support equipment. It includes advanced versions of
the widely used scatterometer and ozone-monitoring instruments already flying
onboard the ERS-2 satellite. The SVM, which interfaces with the launcher,
provides the main satellite support functions, such as command and control,
communications with the ground, power and orbit control and propulsion.
MetOp-A carries a set of 'heritage' instruments, provided by the United StatesÂ’
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the French Space
Agency (CNES), and a new generation of European instruments offering precise
sensing capabilities to both meteorologists and climatologists.
http://www.esa.int/esaLP/LPmetop.html
[Summary from the ESA MetOp Meteorological Missions home page]
Group: Platform_Details
Entry_ID: METOP-A
Group: Platform_Identification
Platform_Category: Earth Observation Satellites
Platform_Series_or_Entity: METOP
Short_Name: METOP-A
Long_Name: Meteorological Operational Satellite - A
End_Group
Group: Platform_Associated_Instruments
Short_Name: SARR
Short_Name: SEM-2
Short_Name: A-DCS
Short_Name: AVHRR-3
Short_Name: HIRS/4
Short_Name: AMSU-B
Short_Name: AMSU-A
Short_Name: GOME-2
Short_Name: ASCAT
Short_Name: GRAS
Short_Name: MHS
Short_Name: IASI
End_Group
Group: Orbit
Orbit_Type: LEO > Low Earth Orbit > Polar Sun-Synchronous
End_Group
Online_Resource http://www.esa.int/esaLP/LPmetop.html Group: Platform_Logistics
Launch_Date: 2006-10-19
Launch_Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Tyuratam, Russia
Primary_Sponsor: ESA
End_Group
End_Group (en)
|