14/08/2023
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Following on from the launch of the primary Meteosat Third Era climate satellite tv for pc, MTG-I1, final December, the main focus is now on getting its companion satellite tv for pc, MTG-S1, prepared for liftoff subsequent 12 months – and a big milestone has been reached. The satellite tv for pc has been geared up with its predominant instrument, the Infrared Sounder, therefore the satellite tv for pc’s title, and in addition the Copernicus Sentinel-4 instrument, an ultraviolet, seen, near-infrared mild spectrometer, or UVN for brief.
Working alongside its MTG-I1 companion satellite tv for pc, which carries a sophisticated imager (the Versatile Mixed Imager), the MTG-S1 satellite tv for pc won’t solely be used to additional enhance atmospheric observations for climate forecasting, however due to the Sentinel-4 UVN instrument, it should additionally ship info each hour to watch air high quality and air pollution over Europe.
Having spent a number of time getting ready for the fragile job of mounting the 2 big devices onto the satellite tv for pc platform, engineers at OHB in Germany wanted to work with excessive precision for the reason that infrared sounder instrument and the Sentinel-4 spectrometer have to take a seat simply 50 mm aside.
The infrared sounder instrument alone measures 1.7 x 1.9 x 2.0 m and weighs over 450 kg, whereas Sentinel-4 is 1.1 x 1.4 x 1.6 m and weighs round 200 kg.
To safeguard these big however delicate devices and the satellite tv for pc platform, the engineers first carried out an entire rehearsal of the combination utilizing structural fashions of the respective devices.
This allowed the groups to do a dry run, iterate and enhance the procedures, which resulted in a really clean integration with the true devices.
ESA’s Christoph Goetz, who oversees the meeting, integration and testing for MTG-S, mentioned, “While this can be a main step in direction of the completion of the satellite tv for pc, the MTG-S1 satellite tv for pc shouldn’t be but absolutely assembled as we nonetheless have to mount the photo voltaic array wings and several other different smaller models.
“That mentioned, it’s the first time we will benefit from the full dimensions of this spectacular satellite tv for pc, standing greater than 5 meters tall and weighing practically two tonnes. When the satellite tv for pc is fuelled for its life in geostationary orbit, it should weigh greater than 3.8 tonnes.
“Each the commercial consortium and the ESA MTG and Sentinel-4 groups are very happy with what has been achieved.”
ESA’s MTG Engineering, Meeting, Integration and Testing Supervisor, James Champion, added, “The mixing of those two devices marks an vital milestone as we now transfer on to give attention to the satellite tv for pc as an entire. We stay up for working with the assorted groups over the approaching 12 months to prepared MTG-S1 for launch.”
Over the following 12 months, the complete satellite tv for pc can be put via an entire set of useful and environmental checks to make sure that following liftoff and its journey geostationary orbit, 36 000 km above the equator, MTG-S1 will carry out as faultlessly as is the case at this time for MTG-I1.
“It is extremely pleasing to see this vital milestone completed and I congratulate all groups concerned. This isn’t solely vital for the MTG and Sentinel-4 groups, however it additionally marks a big step in direction of the completion of the MTG constellation and releasing its revolutionary capabilities to considerably improve future climate forecasting and, specifically, early predictions of extreme climate occasions,” highlighted Paul Blythe, ESA’s Meteosat Programme Supervisor.
“As soon as in orbit, this MTG-S1 satellite tv for pc will carry a radically new means to offer three dimensional photos of Earth’s ambiance, with the potential to choose up localised atmospheric instabilities that might point out the event of main storms a lot sooner than the present MSG system can present.”
Giorgio Bagnasco, ESA’s Challenge Supervisor for the Sentinel-4 mission, added, “We’re thrilled to see the Sentinel-4’s UVN spectrometer now safely fitted to the MTG-S1 satellite tv for pc.
“Along side the MTG Infrared Sounder, it should present measurements of pollutant gases, resembling nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and formaldehyde, affecting the ambiance over Europe.
“Remarkably, these measurements can be of unprecedented accuracy, and they are going to be delivered hourly – serving the wants of the European Union’s Copernicus Environment Monitoring Service.”
The MTG mission is a cooperation between Eumetsat and ESA. ESA is accountable creating and procuring the MTG satellites. The total MTG system is predicated on a sequence of two sorts of satellite tv for pc: 4 MTG-Imagers and two MTG-Sounders. Eumetsat defines the system necessities, develops the bottom techniques, procures the launch providers, operates the satellites and makes the info accessible to customers.
The MTG-Sounder satellites carry the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission’s UVN instrument.
