MetOP-SG A1

At last, the big day is here. The morning starts with big smiles and happy faces but hiding also that quiet tension only felt before something truly important. For nine intense weeks of the launch campaign—and for months and years before that—teams have poured in passion, late nights, and relentless dedication. And now… now it’s […]

On Tuesday 22nd July, MetOp-SGA1 was loaded with 790 kg of Hydrazine propellant. Before we do this everything is closely reviewed to ensure that all parts of the mission, the spacecraft, the launcher and the ground segment are all ready. Due to the hazardous nature of the fueling it marks a bit of a ‘point […]

On Saturday 09th August the team took a well-deserved break from the daily routine and set off to explore the beautiful Îles du Salut — a perfect way to recharge, connect, and enjoy a bit of paradise together! These islands lie about 11 km off Kourou’s coast and includes three islands—Île Royale, Île Saint‑Joseph, and Île […]

On Thursday 07th August, after making sure that the satellite is safe and healthy inside the fairing, all the teams gathered in front of the CDL3 to take a group picture- a nice memory and symbol of the amazing job accomplished by all the teams and the collective effort behind it!

Another big and emotional day for our team today….we had the chance to give a special goodbye to SAT-A1 and wish her well in her journey to space, by putting our signatures on the fairing. This was done on behalf of the whole team, ex team members and families.

While teams in Kourou (French Guiana) are busy getting the satellite ready for launch, preparations have also been underway for weeks in Europe — not for the launch itself, but for what happens immediately after the satellite is in space. The early phase of a satellite’s life in orbit, known as the Launch and Early […]

While the spotlight is on the satellite, behind the scenes, the various Comms teams from ESA, EUMETSAT, CNES, and Airbus play a critical role in keeping everyone connected from engineers in cleanrooms to satellite control and management teams in Kourou and across Europe. As part of the MetOp-SG-A1 campaign, ESA’s Earth Observation Programme EOP Comms […]

Thursday 10/07/2025 In return of the visit to Regulus and EuroPropulsion plants that was offered to us on Tuesday 08 July, today an EPS-SG/MetOp-SG delegation composed by EUM, ESA and Airbus offered a view of the MetOp-SG-A1 satellite from the viewing gallery.

Saturday 05 July 2025

Thursday 3 July A crucial test was performed on 3 July to rehearse the satellite launch countdown and to perform a listen-in test with the mission control centres. This came after intense workdays whereby the satellite and its invaluable instruments in the S5C clean room were thoroughly tested during health and functional checks and subsequently […]

On Metop-SG, everyone is convinced that the Metop-SG satellites will massively improve weather forecasting and climate prediction over the next decades. Fantastic, but how does the CSG actually ensure that the rocket can be safely launched for the local populations, staff, environment, goods and for the missions themselves? Some of use did find out on […]

Monday 30th June Today few members of the ADS, EUM and ESA teams had the privilege to visit the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG). The guides toured us in a bus to the main sites and control rooms. Behind us, ZL4 (Zone de Lancement 4) which is the Ariane 6 launch site from which Metop-SG will […]

Today we had the incredible opportunity to take a picture next to our beloved satellite. All the teams gathered in the clean room to mark this unforgettable moment with several pictures:-)

Sat-A1 has arrived at CSG, the European Spaceport! After its journey, the satellite remained in its transportation container for 24 hours to acclimate. Once the process of SAT-A1 was acclimated, the transportation container was opened, and SAT-A1 was greeted with a warm welcome to CSG in Kourou. Then SAT-A1 was moved to the clean room, allowing […]

AND TGIF! After a long and intense of work, it’s time for some fun and relaxation! F A very crowded TGIF on Friday 20th June:-) On Saturday 21st June, ESA organized a Launch campaign team workshop, a nice get-together for all the teams to celebrate the arrival and switch-on of SAT-A1!

Sunday 22nd June

Wednesday 18th June Today the team had the unique opportunity to visit the canopee boat and discover all the secrets of the home of our satellite for 10 days. And Rob suddenly felt at home!

A night adventure for the team on the beach of Remire-Montjoly to watch sea turtles nesting, a phenomenon that occurs between between April and August every year. These beaches attract several species including leatherback turtles, olive and green turtles. It was quite and adventure but all worth it!