Everything is ready at the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, for one of the most anticipated space events of the year. Tonight, at exactly 02:37 Central European Time (or 21:37 local time on August 12), the powerful European rocket Ariane 6 will begin its journey into space, carrying a cargo of inestimable importance for the future of meteorology, climatology, and air quality monitoring. At the top of the rocket, in its protective fairing, are the MetOp-SG-A1 satellite and the Copernicus Sentinel-5 instrument, technological marvels that promise to revolutionize the way we observe and understand our planet.

This launch, designated as flight VA264, represents a key step for European autonomy in space activities and the beginning of a new era in Earth observation. As the clocks count down the final hours, engineers and scientists across Europe eagerly await the moment when Ariane 6 will lift off from the launch pad and begin its mission, delivering crucial instruments into polar orbit with the precision expected of it.

A new era of weather forecasting and climate studies with MetOp-SG

At the heart of this mission is MetOp-SG-A1, the first satellite of the new, second generation of European meteorological satellites in polar orbit (MetOp-SG - Meteorological Operational satellite - Second Generation). This is not just a mere successor to the extremely successful first generation of MetOp satellites; it is a quantum leap in technology and capabilities. The MetOp-SG program, jointly led by the European Space Agency (ESA) and EUMETSAT (the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), is designed to ensure the continuous delivery of key data for weather forecasts and climate analyses for the next two decades and beyond.

MetOp-SG-A1 is the first of three identical "A" type satellites to be launched in the coming years, which will operate in tandem with "B" type satellites. Together, these pairs of satellites will form a comprehensive system providing an unprecedented amount and quality of data. What makes the new generation superior is the significantly improved accuracy and resolution of its instruments. The data it will collect will be more detailed than ever, allowing meteorologists to create more precise and reliable short-term and long-term weather forecasts. In practice, this means timely warnings of extreme weather events such as storms, floods, and heatwaves, which directly impacts citizen safety and property protection.

The satellite's new measurement capabilities will also expand its scientific reach. The instruments on MetOp-SG-A1 will be able to measure atmospheric temperature and humidity with exceptional precision, track winds over the oceans, analyze the composition of ice at the poles, and monitor vegetation and soil. This data will be vital for monitoring climate change, understanding global water and carbon cycles, and improving models that predict future climate scenarios. For agriculture, energy, transport, and insurance, this data provides the foundation for making informed decisions and optimizing operations.

Copernicus Sentinel-5: Guardian of the atmosphere on watch

Housed within the structure of the MetOp-SG-A1 satellite is another crucial instrument – Sentinel-5. This instrument is part of the ambitious European Earth observation program, Copernicus, led by the European Union in partnership with the ESA. Sentinel-5's mission is exclusively dedicated to the detailed and daily global monitoring of our atmosphere's composition. Its task is to map concentrations of air pollutants, trace gases, aerosols, and ultraviolet radiation with an unprecedented level of detail.

Sentinel-5 will deliver daily data on key pollutants that affect human health and the environment, including nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone (O₃), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), methane, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide (CO). This data will enable scientists and government agencies to accurately identify pollution sources, track their spread, and assess the effectiveness of policies to improve air quality. For citizens, this means access to more reliable information about the quality of the air they breathe, which is fundamental for preventing respiratory and other diseases.

In addition to gases, Sentinel-5 will also monitor aerosols – tiny particles in the atmosphere originating from volcanic eruptions, desert dust, industrial pollution, and fires. Aerosols have a significant impact on the climate, as well as on air traffic safety. Tracking their movement is crucial for issuing timely warnings. Furthermore, the instrument will measure the level of UV radiation reaching the Earth's surface, providing important information for public health campaigns on sun protection. The combination of data from MetOp-SG and Sentinel-5 will provide the most complete picture of the Earth's system to date, linking weather conditions, climate trends, and air quality into a single, integrated knowledge base.

Ariane 6: Europe's guarantor of autonomous access to space

All this advanced technology travels to space on the shoulders of a giant – the Ariane 6 rocket. This is Europe's latest heavy-lift launch vehicle, developed to ensure Europe has independent, reliable, and competitive access to space. In a world where geopolitical tensions can affect the availability of launch services, having its own sovereign rocket is a key element of strategic autonomy. Ariane 6, the successor to the legendary Ariane 5, is designed to be more versatile and cost-effective, capable of launching different types of payloads, from large institutional satellites to smaller commercial constellations.

The rocket consists of three main parts: two or four boosters, a central core stage, and an upper stage. For this specific flight (VA264), Ariane 6 is using its two-booster configuration, known as A62, which is optimally suited for the mass and target orbit of the MetOp-SG-A1 satellite. The core stage is powered by the Vulcain 2.1 engine, while the upper stage uses the innovative Vinci engine, which can be reignited multiple times. It is this reignition capability that allows the rocket to perform complex maneuvers and place satellites into different orbits during a single mission with exceptional precision.

Launching from Kourou in French Guiana also provides a natural advantage. Located near the equator, the space center allows rockets to use the Earth's rotation as an extra push, saving fuel and increasing payload capacity. As Ariane 6 prepares on the launch pad, it symbolizes not only technological prowess but also decades of European cooperation, vision, and dedication to space exploration for the benefit of humanity.