Satellite repositioned for better weather tracking

A new satellite has been manoeuvred to better observe weather and climate over the Indian Ocean.

Launched by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), in 2002, Meteosat-8 will contribute to the Indian Ocean Data Coverage (IODC) service at a position of 41.5°E.

EUMETSAT Head of Strategy, Communication and International Relations Paul Counet, said: “The provision of better and more frequent observations by Meteosat- 8 from this new position will bring benefits to countries, such as Indian Ocean islands and the east African coast, which experience tropical cyclones.”

This satellite is the first of EUMETSAT’s Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellites and will replace Meteosat-7, the last of the previous generation satellites, approaching the end of its nearly 20 year-long lifetime in space.

Coverage will also be provided by India’s INSAT-3D, China’s FY-2E and Russia’s Elektro L N2 as part of an international agreement. The EUMETSAT fleet of MSG satellites fly in a geostationary orbit 36,000km above Earth.

Originally the satellite was used as a back-up for Meteosat-9 and 10, which takes images of Europe and Africa. In July 2016 it was sent on an 80 day drift journey to bring it to its new position.

EUMETSAT MSG Indian Ocean Data Service Project Manager Flavio Murolo, said: “During the drift, a number of tests were carried out on the satellite’s instruments and the complete validation test campaign for the new service will be carried out now that the spacecraft has reached its destination.

“The start of the operations of Meteosat-8 over the Indian Ocean region will mark an important change for the services provided to users because it is a transition from the first to the second generation Meteosat satellites.”