INVITATION TO EUMETSAT MEDIA DAY for EUSJA members
New Jason-3 ocean altimetry satellite
The event will include a briefing on the Jason-3 ocean altimetry
satellite, whose future will be decided by the EUMETSAT Council
meeting on 1-2 December 2009. If it is given the go-ahead, Jason-3
will ensure the continuous long-term monitoring of global sea level
rise, an important indicator of climate change. Like its predecessor,
Jason-2, launched in June 2008, Jason-3 will be a US-European programme.
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Future meteorological satellites
There will also be a briefing on the next generation of meteorological
satellites – Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) and the Post-EUMETSAT
Polar System (Post-EPS) – which will play a crucial role in monitoring
weather and climate in the coming decades.
Another topic to be covered will be EUMETSAT’s role in Global
Monitoring for Security and Environment (GMES). EUMETSAT will operate
the GMES Sentinel-3 satellite on behalf of the European Space Agency,
with whom discussions are also underway on carrying Sentinel-4 on MTG
and Sentinel-5 on Post-EPS.
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EUMETSAT Control Room and Data Centre
The media day will include a visit to the EUMETSAT Control Room,
followed by a visit to the EUMETSAT Data Centre. The Data Centre
contains a unique record of climate variables – such as cloud cover,
humidity and temperature – dating back to the early 1980s.
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Programme highlights:
– Satellite operations for weather and climate monitoring – by Mikael
Rattenborg, Director of Operations:
– Future programmes – MTG, Post-EPS – by Ernst Koenemann, Director
Programme Development:
– Jason-3 and the future of satellite ocean altimetry – by Francois
Parisot, Altimetry Manager:
– GMES, EUMETSAT partnerships, accession process – by Paul Counet,
Head of Strategy and International Relations:
– Visits to EUMETSAT Control Room and Data Centre.