EUMETSAT has officially taken over operational responsibility for Copernicus Sentinel-4, Europe’s new geostationary mission dedicated to monitoring air quality and atmospheric composition.
The Sentinel-4 Ultraviolet, Visible and Near-Infrared instrument is carried on board the Meteosat Third Generation Sounder 1 (MTG-S1). EUMETSAT said the mission will provide hourly observations of key atmospheric constituents over Europe, including aerosols, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and ozone.
The organization said the mission will improve Europe’s air quality forecasts through the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), which is operated by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
The handover follows progressive testing and validation of Sentinel-4 in space. EUMETSAT will now take the mission through the final preparations needed before it becomes operational, including preparing the systems that will process its observations and deliver data and products to users. Operational service is expected to begin in 2027.
The European Space Agency (ESA) and EUMETSAT will continue to work closely together on Sentinel-4 calibration and validation activities.
Developed under the Copernicus program, the Earth observation component of the European Union Space Programme, the mission is implemented through a partnership between the European Commission, ESA and EUMETSAT.
EUMETSAT operates the MTG-S1 satellite platform and is responsible for processing and disseminating the data to users worldwide.
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