A complete second version of the Mission Control and Operations (MCO) sub-segment has been installed at the Svalbard ground station and the Mission Control Centres in Darmstadt and Torrejón. This MCO version is capable of supporting the first Metop-SGA1 satellite launch.
The media has had a chance to get a closer look at the Metop-SGA1 satellite, along with its stablemate Metop-SGB1, as they undergo testing at the Airbus clean room in Toulouse, France.
The Metop-SGA1 satellite has passed the longest and most complex part of the system validation test campaign. During the testing, the operations teams at Telespazio and EUMETSAT commanded the satellite from their respective control centres.
Another milestone for Metop-SGA1! The satellite has passed the final of three system validation tests. Teams at EUMETSAT, Telespazio and Airbus cooperated to switch on the satellite, establish a connection and perform the necessary configurations.
Sentinel 5 is part of the Copernicus mission and a Customer Furnished Item (CFI) provided by ESA for Metop-SGA1.
METimage is one of the two Customer Furnished Items (CFI) provided by EUMETSAT for Metop-SGA1. METimage was procured by DLR on EUMETSAT's behalf.
The Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer - New Generation (IASI-NG) aboard the Metop-SGA1 satellite will measure temperature, humidity, greenhouse gases and other parameters in the atmosphere.
This is the final on-ground test to verify the funtional behaviour of the satellite and the instrument with the ground control system in the loop. A necessary step to ensure on-ground the operability of the satellite before launch.
The LEOP service, which will take care of Metop-SGA1 during its first orbits and initial activities, has started the operational validation phase with the kick-off of the simulation campaign.
The Metop-SGA1 satellite has successfully passed its Flight Acceptance Review (FAR) and is now ready for its voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to Kourou, French Guyana.