ESA's Arctic Weather Satellite - Launched and Set to Improve Global Weather Forecasts Using Our Scientific Weather Payload

Arctic Weather Satellite in action Credit: ESA/Mlabspace

ESA's Arctic Weather Satellite (AWS) was successfully launched Friday, August 16, 2024 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on the Space-X Falcon 9 Transporter-11 Mission. The satellite carries an AAC Clyde Space innovative scientific weather payload, power and command and data handling solution has since made contact with the operations team. AWS is a pre-cursor to a potential constellation further on for Eumetsat.

ESA's Arctic Weather Satellite is an initial prototype mission that aims to demonstrate the usefulness of radiometric measurements to improve weather forecasts in the Arctic region and globally. The final solution would involve a full constellation of satellites to provide more frequent measurement, something that cannot be achieved by the larger geostationary satellites already in use to depict the areas. It will build upon build on existing Arctic monitoring satellites, such as MetOp and MetOp SG, and provide precise, short-term weather forecasts for the Arctic region.

The satellite, which weighs just 125 kg, carries a weather payload that will yield high-resolution vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature and humidity in all weather conditions. AAC Omnisys, part of the AAC Clyde Space Group, developed and built this scientific weather payload in Gothenburg, Sweden.

AAC Clyde Space also supplied a high-performance STARBUCK power system from its range of microsatellite products, and a Sirius Command and Data Handling System, both designed and built at its Uppsala, Sweden, site.

"Congratulations to all the teams involved in this mission on the successful launch. AWS will not only enable forecasting using real-time weather data but will enable the analysis of climate patterns and help us to make informed decisions in our fight against climate change", says AAC Clyde Space CEO Luis Gomes.