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.