To go along with the interview from earlier this week, today I’m going to talk about the history of the Meteosat program.

The gentleman Beth interviewed was from Eumetsat, which currently operates the satellites, but the actual program predates even the European Space Agency (ESA). Meteosat was started in 1972 under the European Space Research Organization (ESRO), one of the predecessors of ESA, from a slightly earlier concept from the French space agency CNES.

The basic premise of the Meteosat program was similar to many other projects at ESRO, namely a space capability that Europe could use without depending on anyone else. Meteosat would provide operational weather forecasting and other services including data collection, data relay, and laser ranging.

What they came up with was a spin-stabilized satellite 2.1 meters in diameter and weighing just under 700 kilograms at launch. The first generation had one main instrument, a large telescope with visible and infrared detectors. Different spacecraft in the first generation were also fitted with one-off instruments, including a laser retroreflector for timing and an electron spectrometer for space environment sensing.

Each Meteosat also had a transponder to collect data from ground-based sensors around the world. It would relay this data to where it needed to go.

Meteosat 1 was launched in November 1977 on an American Delta rocket, but Europe’s Ariane rockets launched the other satellites. Meteosat 1 operated from zero degrees longitude over the equator in geostationary orbit, providing images of most of Europe and the Middle East, all of Africa, and as far west as South America. All subsequent satellites have operated from this position.

After the launch of Meteosat 2, the newly formed European Space Agency met and decided that the operation of the satellites would be handled by a new organization, the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites or Eumetsat. At the same time, the Meteosat Operational Program was announced. It would consist of Meteosats 4 through 7, which would be improved versions of the original satellites. Eumetsat is similar to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the U.S.

The agreement came into force in 1986, and the next year Eumetsat took responsibility for the satellites, contracting with ESA to build new satellites. Starting in 1995, responsibility for everything related to Meteosat was given to Eumetsat. At this time, Eumetsat also began planning the second generation of the constellation.

Meteosat has so far seen two generations of spacecraft, with the first seven satellites active from 1977 through 2017 and the second from 2002 to the present. The Meteosat Second Generation started in 2002 and consisted of four satellites. Each of the new satellites is three times larger than the first generation and has much more capable instruments. The second generation will serve until 2033.

Since 1991, two Meteosats have been operated simultaneously, one over Europe and the other over India. Starting with Meteosat 5, the older of the two Meteosats in service has typically been stationed over India.

Meteosat was started for Europe, but the satellites have helped out other countries as needed. For example, in 1991, Meteosat 3 was moved west for NOAA, as a temporary replacement for GOES-West. This temporary assignment ended in 1995.

At the end of its main mission, Meteosat 5 was moved to the Indian Ocean to study air pollution in Southeast Asia for two years, after which it acted as a data relay satellite until 2007. This data relay role has continued with the other Meteosat satellites.

Eumetsat is currently developing the third generation of Meteosat satellites. The first of this generation of satellites could launch as soon as this year; in fact, it’s on a boat to its launch site in French Guiana as we’re recording this episode.

More Information

Meteosat First Generation (ESA)

Meteosat Second Generation (ESA)