Europe's weather eye
In Darmstadt, Germany, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) headquarters is the hub for Europe's weather and climate monitoring from space. Established in 1986, this intergovernmental organization now comprises 30 member states. Its primary purpose is to operate a continuous stream of meteorological satellites, providing data that supports weather forecasts and climate studies across the continent and beyond. The facility operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ensuring a constant flow of information to the national weather services of its member nations.
EUMETSAT manages two main families of satellites distinguished by their orbits. The Meteosat series occupies a geostationary orbit at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers over the equator. From this position, a single satellite can observe roughly one-third of the Earth's surface, providing a constant stream of images of Europe and Africa. The first Meteosat launched in 1977, and the program is now in its third generation (MTG), which includes advanced imaging and sounding instruments. The second satellite family, Metop, flies in a much lower polar orbit at about 817 kilometers. These satellites circle the globe from pole to pole, providing more detailed observations of atmospheric temperature, humidity, and ozone composition, which are used for numerical weather prediction models.