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Europe’s latest meteorology satellite MetOp-B will be launched into space from Baikonur Cosmodrome, an operational space launch facility in Kazakhstan, on 17 September.

MetOp-B, which will be launched on a Soyuz rocket, is the second of the three MetOp polar-orbiting satellites procured by the European Space Agency (ESA), led by Astrium on behalf of the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (Eumetsat).

The first radio signal is expected after 66 minutes from the time of departure of the spacecraft.

The launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) will start three minutes after the separation of MetOp from the Fregat upper stage.

"On day three, we’ll conduct a number of thruster burns to fine tune the orbit and get into ‘phase’ with the orbit of MetOp-A while we prepare for handover to Eumetsat."

LEOP phase will be completed three days after the ESA hands over the satellite to Eumetsat following its placement into planned orbit.

ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) Flight Operations director Hervé Côme said that on the first day, ground teams would search for solar array deployment and activate several systems, and on the next day, five payload instrument antennas would be deployed.

"On day three, we’ll conduct a number of thruster burns to fine tune the orbit and get into ‘phase’ with the orbit of MetOp-A while we prepare for handover to Eumetsat," Côme added.

MetOp will enter a polar orbit at a height of 817km with an orbital period of 101 minutes, and for this, multiple ground stations will be required to offer fulltime communications during LEOP.

Six stations in Africa, Europe, Alaska and Hawaii, including ESA’s 15m diameter antenna in Maspalomas, Spain, will track the satellite.

The first satellite in the series, MetOp-A, was launched in October 2006.


Image: An artistic rendering of MetOp satellite operations in the orbit. Photo: courtesy of the European Space Agency.