MetopSG

The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded a contract worth around €90m to Airbus Defence and Space to design and build the Ice Cloud Imager (ICI) instruments for the MetOp second generation (MetOp-SG) satellites.

ICI is the first-of-its-kind space instrument that will enable the measurement of mass and average size of ice particles at various heights in clouds.

The scanning radiometer system will operate in 13 radio frequencies in the sub-millimetre range of 1,83GHz and 664GHz.

In addition to supporting weather forecasting, and monitoring hydrology and climate, the instrument will also help quantify snowfall and generate water vapour profiles, as well as other imaging products.

Airbus Defence and Space Spain Space Systems director Antonio Cuadrado said: "In designing and building this state-of-the-art instrument, the Spanish space industry, with the support of the Spanish Government, is helping to shape the future of meteorology over the coming decades."

The ESA and Airbus Defence and Space, as the industrial prime contractor, have signed the first contractual documents for the MetOp-SG programme at the International Airshow ILA in Berlin earlier this year.

"In designing and building this state-of-the-art instrument, the Spanish space industry is helping to shape the future of meteorology over the coming decades."

The MetOp-SG satellites programme is being developed by the ESA in partnership with European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).

The ESA manages the development of the space segment and the EUMETSAT provides funds for the recurrent satellites and the ground segment.

The MetOp-SG segment comprises two series of satellites, Satellites A and Satellite B, with up to three units in each.

Being built on the Astrobus platform, the Satellite A will be developed by Airbus Defence and Space in Toulouse, France, while the Satellite B will be constructed in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

An international industrial consortium led by Airbus Defence and Space will provide over 150 equipments and services for the spacecraft platforms.

The first units of Satellite A and Satellite B are scheduled for launch in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Each of the satellites in the series will have a lifetime of seven and a half years.

Image: An artistic view of MetOp-SG Satellite A and Satellite B. Photo: courtesy of Airbus Defence and Space.

Defence Technology