Satellites project could help ‘save lives' and give extreme weather warnings
The first satellite, Metop-SG A1, will be launched from French Guiana on Wednesday and start collecting data on weather patterns next year.
The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMetSat) and the European Space Agency are leading the project, which will see six satellites sent into a low-earth orbit.
The project hopes to improve short-range and long-term forecasts, which will also help scientists monitor increasingly extreme weather across the world.
It's #MetopSGA1 LAUNCH DAY! 🚀 Teams at the European Spaceport in Kourou are making final preparations for lift off at 21:37 local time (00:37 UTC, 02:37 CEST on August 13). 🛰️ Stay tuned with us for updates – night owls, watch the action live here: https://t.co/GbzyWl5ci7 pic.twitter.com/uiFY2RLUZM
— EUMETSAT (@eumetsat) August 12, 2025
Phil Evans, director general of EUMetSat, said the new satellites would help to save lives by predicting increasingly extreme weather before it happens.
He said: 'Extreme weather has cost Europe hundreds of billions of euros and tens of thousands of lives over the past 40 years — storms like Boris, Daniel and Hans, record heatwaves and fierce wildfires are just the latest reminders.
'The launch of Metop-SG A1 is a major step forward in giving national weather services in our member states sharper tools to save lives, protect property and build resilience against the climate crisis.'
Once in use, the satellites could see improved forecasts for up to 10 days ahead in Europe and worldwide.
The data can also help short-range forecasts and enable experts to spot tell-tale signs of early storm development and other high-impact weather events, especially those at higher latitudes.
On the satellite will be a tracker called the Copernicus Sentinel 5 mission, which will primarily be used for monitoring air quality and long-term climate monitoring.
The satellite will station itself about 800km above the Earth and complete one full orbit every 100 minutes, passing close to the north and south poles – enabling it to take images of the entire globe over the course of the day.
As well as imaging, the satellite will use other equipment like sounders in order to collect data on temperature, precipitation, clouds, winds, pollution and other factors to predict weather.
🤝There they stand. 📷First views of #Ariane6 on the launch pad.🚀 Flight #VA264 will take Metop-SG-A1 and Copernicus Sentinel-5 to orbit✅Launch readiness review: GO☁️Weather looks good📅Liftoff 13 August 02:37 CEST🔴Watch live: https://t.co/MucXusawJC pic.twitter.com/xJ975sF47i
— ESA Space Transport (@ESA_transport) August 12, 2025
This information will be fed back to stations such as the newly-installed satellite tracking dish at the Met Office headquarters in Exeter.
This will be 'absolutely vital' for weather forecasters, said Simon Keogh, head of space applications at the Met Office.
He said: 'We know how important satellite data is for forecast accuracy, with around a quarter of existing accuracy coming from this source.
'The next generation of these satellites is important not only for maintaining existing accuracy as old systems go offline, but also for enhancing observations for the next generation of weather forecasts.
'This project is absolutely vital as we make sure we can continue to deliver more accurate forecasts for the next five days and beyond.'
UK science minister Lord Vallance said: 'Our weather is becoming more extreme and more unpredictable. This launch is the latest result of the UK investing with European partners to bolster weather predictions so we can keep up with our changing climate.
'Harnessing the world-class insights from this satellite will improve our ability to predict high-impact weather events even earlier. This will protect our infrastructure, our economy and save lives, keeping our plan for change on track.'
On Tuesday, the fourth heatwave of the summer was announced, with organisations issuing amber health warnings and a possible risk to life from the high temperatures.
The world experienced its third-warmest July on record this year, experts said, with heat and deadly floods throughout the month.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Met Office tells Brits to get emergency kit ready in 11 'danger to life' areas
The Met Office has issued yellow thunderstorm warnings for 11 areas and told people they might want to prepare an 'emergency' kit in case of flooding Brits in 11 areas have been told they might want to prepare an emergency kit as yellow weather warnings have been issued. The hot and summery weather that scorched parts of the nation from the start of this week has made way for showers and thunderstorms for some, which could cause major disruption in a few areas. Two yellow thunderstorm warnings have been issued by the Met Office for parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland. These alerts are expected to stay in place until 10pm tonight, while people in 11 areas have been told to prepare for possible power cuts, flooding and disruptions to travel. A yellow warning was issued for eight areas in the east of Scotland. These include Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highland, Angus, Perth and Kinross, Fife, and Dundee. Locals in this region have been told to keep safe on the roads as spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures. They have also been warned that flooding of homes and businesses could happen quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds possible. Three areas in the east of Northern Ireland have also had a yellow thunderstorm warning issued - County Antrim, County Armagh and County Down. Those areas have been given the same flood warning. The Met Office said for all areas: "There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life." It added: "Where flooding occurs, there is a chance of delays or cancellations to train and bus services." The Met Office warnings also suggest preparing an "emergency" flood kit with "torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items". This comes just a day after heat health alerts were issued across the nation. Yellow alerts are in place for Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, the southeast and the southwest. The warning went into effect at 4pm on Wednesday and will remain in place until 6pm on Monday. The yellow alerts warn of a possible rise in fatalities "particularly among those ages 65 and over or with health conditions", the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed. This warning also said a greater demand could be placed on health services, internal temperatures in hospitals and care homes exceeding the "recommended threshold for clinical risk assessment".
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
UK weather: Warning for thunderstorms issued with risk of flooding as heatwave continues
A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued by the Met Office for parts of the UK as the fourth heatwave of the summer continues. The warning covers most of Scotland and Northern Ireland until 10pm on Thursday - and comes as heat health alerts were extended by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) into next week for much of England. The UKHSA said yellow warnings will now be in place for Yorkshire and Humber, the East and West Midlands, London and the South East, South West and East of England until 6pm on 18 August. Flood alerts have also been issued for Scotland with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency warning of a risk of significant flooding from surface water and rivers due to today's thundery downpours. The Met Office said there was the potential for 20 to 30mm of rainfall in under an hour, and up to 50mm where storms could repeatedly affect the same area. The most intense storms may also bring lightning and hail. Showers are expected to ease through the evening, though they may linger over Orkney and the far north. Temperatures will remain high in the north, despite the unsettled conditions, the Met Office said. The forecaster said another warm day is expected across much of the UK today, with temperatures climbing into the low to mid-30s in eastern England. Paul Gundersen, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: "Some areas will continue to experience their fourth heatwave of the summer so far, with Thursday remaining warm or very warm for many, though cooler near coasts. "Temperatures could still reach 30C in eastern England, though many areas will be a few degrees cooler than earlier in the week." Friday is expected to bring a north-south split, with cloudier skies and patchy rain or drizzle in parts of the north, while the south enjoys plenty of sunshine - temperatures could reach 31C in southern England, the Met Office said. The weekend is expected to be dry and sunny for most - top temperatures could reach 30C on Saturday and 29C on Sunday in south-west England.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
NI weather: Thunderstorm warning issued across eastern counties
A thunderstorm warning has been issued across eastern parts of Northern Ireland on Met Office is warning of possible damage and disruption where the storms alert lasts from midday on Thursday until 22:00 (BST) across counties Antrim, Armagh and are expected to develop through the afternoon with some increasing in intensity, bringing a risk of flash flooding. Most places can expect 10-20mm of rain where the showers appear, but the heaviest could bring up to 40mm of rain in an Met Office has warned of a a small chance that some places could see over 50mm of rain on Thursday organisation has said there is a slight chance of power cuts and flooding to homes and to travel can also be expected where the showers hit, causing difficult driving conditions.
