Donny Aminou

Characteristics of the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) radiometer/imager: SEVIRI

The Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) program consists of a series of 3 satellites, the objectives of which were defined by the European meteorological community led by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). The development and procurement of the MSG satellite is under the responsibility of ESA. The corresponding ground segment will be procured by EUMETSAT, and they will operate the overall system. Aerospatiale of France leads an industrial consortium of more than 50 European companies that develop and manufacture the spacecraft. The objective of the MSG program is to provide a continuous and reliable collection of environmental data in support of weather forecasting and related services. A major element of this objective is fulfilled by the imaging mission, which corresponds to a continuous image taking of the Earth using 12 channels with a baseline repeat cycle of 15 minutes, including the on-board calibration and the retrace. The imaging tasks are performed by the spinning enhanced visible and infrared imager (SEVIRI), which is being developed by Matra-Marconi Space, France. Provision is also made for the satellite to carry as an experimental payload the so-called geostationary Earth radiation budget (GERB) instrument. This paper focuses on SEVIRI and its radiometric and imaging mission performances.

Meteosat second generation: on-ground calibration, characterization, and sensitivity analysis of the SEVIRI imaging radiometer

The Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) programme consists of a series of 3 geostationary satellites, the objectives of which were defined by the European meteorological community led by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). The development and procurement of MSG is under the responsibility of ESA. Alcatel France leads an industrial consortium of more than 50 European companies which develop, manufacture, integrate and test the spacecraft. The main payload, the imaging radiometer called Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI), is developed by Matra Marconi Space France. The objective of the MSG programme is to provide a continuous and reliable collection of environmental data in support of weather forecasting and related services. A major element of this objective is fulfilled by the imaging mission, which corresponds to a continuous image taking of the earth using 12 channels with a baseline repeat cycle of 15 minutes, including the on-board calibration, the retrace and the overall satellite stabilisation process. The imaging tasks are performed by the SEVIRI. Provision is also made on-board to carry as a passenger the so-called GERB instrument (Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget). This paper will focus on the calibration, characterisation and sensitivity analysis of the SEVIRI radiometer/Imager.

Meteosat Third Generation: progress on space segment system feasibility studies: payload aspects

ESA and EUMETSAT have initiated joint preparatory activities for the formulation and definition of the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) geostationary system to ensure the continuity and improvement of the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) system. The MTG will become the new system to be the backbone of the European operational meteorological services from 2015, in particular, will ensure the continuation of the imagery missions. The first phases were devoted to the definition and consolidation of end user requirements and priorities in the field of Nowcasting and Very Short Term Weather Forecasting (NWC), Medium/Short Range global and regional Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), Climate and Air Composition Monitoring and to the definition of the relevant observation techniques. The following missions have been analysed and preliminary concepts studied: The Flexible Combined Imager, an improvement of the actual MSG-SEVIRI Imager Lightning Imagery Mission IR Sounding Mission UV-VIS-NIR Sounding Mission as a payload complement from GMES. After pre-phase A mission studies (2003-2006), where preliminary instrument concepts were investigated allowing in the same time to consolidate the technical requirements for the overall system study, a phase A study on MTG has been launched at the beginning of February 2007 for the space segment system feasibility and programmatic aspects to be accomplished during 2007-2008 time frame. The space segment phase A study will cover all elements to the level of details allowing to conclude on the feasibility of the system and to produce cost estimates with a good level of confidence. This paper provides an overview of the outcome of the MTG space segment at the end of phase A, addressing the progress accomplished for the various payloads in terms of achievable performances including Radiometry and Image Navigation and Registration aspects. It namely focuses onto the Imaging and IR Sounding, Lightning Missions, introduces the UV-VIS-NIR Sounding mission concept status, establishes the critical technologies and introduces the way forward to the implementation of the MTG development programme.

Meteosat third generation: user requirements and sensors concept

Following the successful commissioning of the first Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) series, EUMETSAT and the European Space Agency (ESA) are actively preparing the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) mission to plan for a future operational geostationary meteorological satellite system in the post 2015 time frame. Early user consultation activities of EUMETSAT and ESA for the MTG mission culminated with a user consultation workshop held in November 2001. The User Consultation Process was devoted to the definition and consolidation of end user requirements and priorities in the field of Medium/Short Range global and regional Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), Nowcasting and Very Short Term Weather Forecasting (NWC) and to the definition of the relevant observation techniques. Studies on potential observation techniques and sensor concepts have been initiated, covering three distinct imagery missions dedicated to operational meteorology, with emphasis on nowcasting and very short term forecasting and two sounding missions: - The high resolution fast imagery mission aiming at 5 minutes revisit time with 0.5 km resolution - The full disk high spectral resolution imagery mission with a large number of spectral channels and with high radiometric performance - The lighting imagery mission, capable of detecting very low energy events with high reliability - The infrared sounding mission supporting NWP through the provision of atmospheric motion vectors and temperature and water vapour profiles - The UV/VIS/SWIR sounding mission dedicated to atmospheric chemistry The paper describes the MTG user requirements and the preliminary instruments concept, with emphasis on the observation missions.

Meteosat Third Generation Phase A Optical Payload Consolidation

ESA and EUMETSAT have initiated joint preparatory activities for the formulation and definition of the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) geostationary system to ensure the continuity and improvement of the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) system. The MTG will become the new system to be the backbone of the European operational meteorological services from 2015, in particular, will ensure the continuation of the imagery missions. The first phases were devoted to the definition and consolidation of end user requirements and priorities in the field of Nowcasting and Very Short Term Weather Forecasting (NWC), Medium/Short Range global and regional Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), Climate and Air Composition Monitoring and to the definition of the relevant observation techniques. The following missions have been analysed and preliminary concepts studied: - High Resolution Fast Imagery Mission (successor to MSG SEVIRI HRV mission) - Full Disk High Spectral Resolution Imagery Mission (successor to the mission of other MSG-SEVIRI channels) - Lightning Imagery Mission - IR Sounding Mission - UV-VIS-NIR Sounding Mission After pre-phase A mission studies (2003-2006), where preliminary instrument concepts were investigated allowing in the same time to consolidate the technical requirements for the overall system study, a phase A study on MTG has been launched at the beginning of February 2007 for the space segment system feasibility and programmatic aspects to be accomplished during 2007-2008 time frame. The space segment phase A study will cover all elements to the level of details allowing to conclude on the feasibility of the system and to produce cost estimates with a good level of confidence. This paper addresses an overview of the outcome of the MTG space segment progress (spacecraft concept, payload preliminary design studies) accomplished in the frame of the phase A. It namely focuses onto the Imaging and IR Sounding Missions, highlights the platform and resulting instrument concepts, establishes the critical technologies and introduces the study progress towards the implementation of the MTG development programme.

Meteosat third generation: preliminary design of the imaging radiometers and sounding instruments

The operational deployment of MSG-1 at the beginning of 2004, the first of a series of four Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellites, marks the start of a new era in Europe for the meteorological observations from the geostationary orbit. The new system shall be the backbone of the European operational meteorological services up to at least 2015. The time required for the definition and the development of new space systems as well as the approval process of such complex programs implies anyhow to plan well ahead for the future missions. EUMETSAT have initiated in 2001, with ESA support, a User Consultation Process aiming at preparing for a future operational geostationary meteorological satellite system in the post-MSG era, named Meteosat Third Generation (MTG). The first phase of the User Consultation Process was devoted to the definition and consolidation of end user requirements and priorities in the field of Nowcasting and Very Short Term Weather Forecasting (NWC), Medium/Short Range global and regional Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), Climate and Air Composition Monitoring and to the definition of the relevant observation techniques. The intermediate results of this first phase were presented to and discussed with the user community at the first Post-MSG User Consultation Workshop convened by EUMETSAT in November 2001 and further consolidated with the support of ESA in the area of potential observation techniques and sensor concepts via dedicated studies conducted in the 2003/2004 time frame. The following missions have been analysed and preliminary concepts studied: -High Resolution Fast Imagery Mission (successor to MSG SEVIRI HRV mission) -Full Disk High Spectral Resolution Imagery Mission (successor to the mission of other MSG-SEVIRI channels) -Lightning Imagery Mission -IR Sounding Mission -UV-VIS-NIR-SWIR Sounding Mission In March 2003, ESA and EUMETSAT derived technical requirements applicable to the MTG mission study where preliminary instrument concepts were investigated allowing in the same time to consolidate the technical requirements for the overall system study. This paper provides an overview of the outcome of the MTG observation techniques and sensor concept studies conducted in 2003-2004. It namely focuses onto the Imaging and Sounding Missions, highlights the resulting instrument concepts and introduces the study steps towards the implementation of the MTG development programme.

Meteosat Third Generation: mission and system concepts

EUMETSAT and ESA initiated in 2000 joint preparatory activities for the formulation and definition of the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) geostationary system, to ensure continuity and improvement of current Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) services. MTG will become the backbone of the European operational meteorological applications taking the relay from MSG by 2017, and warranting the continuation of the earth imagery mission supported by the Spin Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI). The early program definition phases were devoted to the discussion and consolidation of end user requirements and their priorities in meteorology fields as Nowcasting and Very Short Term Weather Forecasting (NWC), Medium/Short Range global and regional Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), Climate and Air Composition Monitoring and the identification of the relevant observation techniques. In the system conceptualization process, the following missions have been analyzed: • Full Disc High Spectral resolution Imagery (FDHSI) • High Resolution and Fast Imagery (HRFI) • Lightning detection Mission (LI) • IR Sounding Mission (IRS) • UV-VIS-NIR Sounding Mission as a payload complement (UVN). After pre-phase A mission studies (2003-2006), where preliminary instrument concepts were investigated allowing the consolidation of the most critical and demanding technical requirements, phase A studies were launched at the beginning of February (2007-2008) addressing both the space segment system feasibility and ground and operations programmatic aspects. The space segment, phase A level, studies covered the entire suite of optical instruments identified in the preliminary assessments including: 1) a flexible combined imager for both FDHSI and HRFI missions; 2) a Fourier Transform Spectrometer for IRS observations; and 3) a lightning detector sensor. The study of concepts and implementation of the UVN mission are covered by the efforts of ESA and the European Union (EU) in the framework of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Sentinel 4 program. This paper provides an overview of the outcome of the MTG System analyses at the end of phase A confirming its technical feasibility, the key characteristics of the intended missions, and the progress accomplished in the definition of the satellite optical payloads.

MTG-IRS: Status, Specifications and Technical Concept

A special EUMETSAT Council approved on 9 October 2008 the payload complement for the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) satellites. MTG will for the first time carry a hyperspectral InfraRed Sounder (IRS) into a geo-stationary orbit. The IRS concept is that of a Fourier Transform Spectrometer covering two bands (700-1210 and 1600-2175 cm−1) with a spectral sampling of 0.625 cm−1. The IRS will be capable of observing the full disc with a repeat cycle of 60 min and a spatial sampling of 4 km. The launch of the IRS into the geostationary orbit is anticipated by early 2018.

The flexible combined imager onboard MTG: from design to calibration

The Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) Programme is being realised through the well-established and successful cooperation between EUMETSAT and ESA. It will ensure the continuity with, and enhancement of, operational meteorological and climate data from Geostationary Orbit as currently provided by the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) system. The industrial Prime Contractor for the Space segment is Thales Alenia Space (France) with a core team consortium including OHB-Bremen (Germany) and OHB-Munich (Germany. This contract includes the provision of six satellites, four Imaging satellites (MTG-I) and two Sounding satellites (MTG-S), which will ensure a total operational life of the MTG system in excess of 20 years. A clear technical baseline has been established for both MTG-I and MTG-S satellites, and confirmed through a rigorous Preliminary Design Review (PDR) process that was formally concluded during 2013. Dedicated reviews have been held for all the main elements including the core instruments (Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) and Infrared Sounder (IRS)), the Platform (which is largely common for the two satellites), the Lightning Imager (LI) and the MTG-I and MTG-S satellites as a whole. The satellites and instruments are at the moment in preparation for the Structural and Thermal Models (STM). The FCI is designed to provide images of the Earth every 10 to 2.5 minutes in 16 spectral channels between 0.44 and 13.3 μm, with a ground resolution ranging from 0.5 km to 2 km. The on-board calibration is based on the use of a Metallic Neutral Density (MND) filter for VIS/NIR channels and a blackbody for the IR channels. This paper introduces the overall FCI design and its calibration concept covering VIS/NIR and IR domains and it describes how the use of the MND makes it possible to accurately correct the medium and long term radiometric drifts of the IR3.8 μm channel.

Meteosat second-generation in-flight commissioning of the imaging radiometer SEVIRI

WALES is one of the three candidate missions that are currently considerd for the future ESA Earth Explorer missions. The objective of the mission is to provide better insight into the distribution of water vapor and aerosol in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere for research and applications in climatology and numerical weather prediction. This is to be achieved by providing globally accurate profiles of water vapor concentration. A direct detection Differential Absorption Lidar has been studied in the frame of the WALES mission pre-phase A. The lidar is based on high power laser emitting several wavelengths in the 920-950 nm range, each wavelength being tunable and frequency locked. The backscatter signal is collected through a large telescope and filtered through narrow band filters. The concept and the expected performance of the instrument are discussed in this paper.