The European weather satellite MetOp-SG-B1 has arrived at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, the European Space Agency announced on 20 October. It crossed the Atlantic in about 10 days aboard the ship Canopée, which combines wind power with conventional fuel.
Launch is planned on an Ariane 6 by the end of 2026. The satellite carries five instruments that measure ocean-surface winds and soil moisture, atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles, precipitation and sea-ice extent, and cloud ice.
It joins MetOp-SG-A1, launched in August 2025, to strengthen Europe’s weather forecasting. The mission plans three pairs of satellites over at least the next two decades.
