MetOp-A

ESA

Spacecraft nº:

ESA spacecraft nº: 62

Launch data:

Designation 29499 / 06044A
Launch date 19 Oct 2006 - 16:28 UT
Launch site B, LC-31/6
Launch vehicle  Soyuz-2-1a Fregat
(1st flight)
Mission Meteorology
Sun-synchronous earth orbit:
Perigee / Apogee 820 x 821 km
Inclination 98.7°
Period 101.3 min

MetOp-A is Europa's first polar-orbiting satellite dedicated to operational Meteorology.

Spacecraft data:

Prime contractor  
Operator 
Platform  
Mass at launch  4093 kg, including 316 kg hydrazine in 4 tanks
Dry Mass  kg
Basic shape  
Dimension (m) 6.2m (high) by 3.4 x 3 m cross-section in launch configuration
17.6 x 6.5 x 5.2 m with solar array and antennas deployed
Solar array  1 deployable Solar Array
Altitude control 3-axis stabilised by reaction wheels; orbit manoeuvres by hydrazine thrusters; pointing knowledge 0.07° X-axis, 0.11° Y-axis, 0.15° Z-axis
DC power  
Design lifetime  5 years


Data-handling: science data acquired as CCSDS packets (the standard set by the Consultative Committee for Space DataSystems); science data formatting and multiplexing, encryption for selected instruments, instrument and housekeeping data storage in solid-state recorder ((24 Gbit end-of-life).
Communications: omnidirectional S-band coverage (uplink 2 kbit/s, downlink 4 kbit/s); instrument global data stream downlinked via X-band (70 Mbit/s); realtime broadcasting of instrument data with HRPT at 3.5 Mbit/s via L-band for all instruments, and LRPT 72 kbit/s.

Mission details:

Ref.: #7, #78a, #100(n°127-8/06), #238 - update: 5.03.07