Arctic Weather Satellite shipped to Germany for series of tests

Embracing the New Area strategy, it has taken simply 36 months to develop and construct ESA’s Arctic Climate Satellite tv for pc. Now full, this exceptional microsatellite has been shipped from OHB in Sweden to Germany the place it’s beginning a sequence of exams to make it possible for it can survive liftoff subsequent 12 months and its subsequent life in orbit.

As its identify suggests, the brand new Arctic Climate Satellite tv for pc mission is anticipated to enhance climate forecasts within the Arctic—a area that presently lacks information for correct short-term forecasts.

In the present day, satellites, each these in geostationary orbit and in polar orbit, present a wealth of knowledge that meteorologists use routinely to forecast the climate. Nevertheless, the monitoring of the Arctic stays inadequate, as geostationary satellites don’t have any visibility of this northerly area.

The Arctic Climate Satellite tv for pc is definitely the forerunner of a possible constellation of satellites, known as EPS-Sterna, that ESA would construct for Eumetsat if the primary prototype Arctic Climate Satellite tv for pc works properly.

The EPS-Sterna mission is envisaged as a constellation of six microsatellites in three orbital planes to produce an virtually fixed stream of temperature and humidity information from each location on Earth.

This could, for the primary time, enable for very short-range climate forecasting, or ‘nowcasting,’ within the Arctic. The set of six microsatellites could be replenished 3 times.

Whereas the Arctic is the main target, meteorologists may even use the constellation to enhance weather forecasts globally.

Earlier than this, nevertheless, the Arctic Climate Satellite tv for pc prototype has to show that it really works.

Therefore, embracing the New Area strategy by proving new ideas in a cheap and well timed method, this new satellite has been developed and constructed on a really tight schedule.

It has taken simply 36 months between ESA awarding the economic prime contract to OHB in Sweden and the satellite being accomplished.

ESA’s Arctic Climate Satellite tv for pc Mission Supervisor, Ville Kangas, mentioned, “We’re proper on schedule. The instrument, a microwave radiometer, was delivered by Omnisys the prime contractor for the instrument to OHB in October and built-in on the satellite platform.

“And now, because of the dedication of the businesses concerned, now we have a whole satellite.”

The satellite is now geared up with a 19-channel cross-track scanning microwave radiometer, which advantages from the heritage of the Microwave Sounder developed for the MetOp Second Technology satellites.

The instrument will present high-resolution humidity and temperature soundings of the environment in all weather situations.

Ville continued, “Passing one other milestone this month, we additionally examined the hyperlinks between the satellite and the mission management middle in KSAT, Tromsø in Norway, which all went in response to plan.

“With these vital phases performed, the satellite has been shipped to IABG in Germany for its environmental check marketing campaign, which is able to final till February 2024.”

These exams will embrace exposing the satellite to vibrations and noise throughout liftoff and the temperature variations in vacuum it must endure because it orbits Earth.

As soon as these exams have been accomplished, the satellite will probably be shipped again to OHB Sweden some remaining checks earlier than it’s shipped to SpaceX’s launch web site in Vandenberg, California in April. Liftoff is slated for 1 June 2024 on a Falcon 9 rocket.