* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: MetOp-B satellite

Blobrana · L

ESA hands over control of the Metop-B weather satellite to EUMETSAT

Yesterday, at 18:30 local time EUMETSAT took control of Metop-B operations, following the three-day Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) conducted by the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) of the European Space Agency (ESA). The handover follows the launch of Metop-B on 17 September.
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Blobrana · L

Europe's second polar-orbiting weather satellite is aloft

The second Metop satellite was launched today from the Baikonur cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, atop a Russian Soyuz launcher.
Metop-B will ensure the continuity of the weather and atmospheric monitoring service provided by its predecessor Metop-A, which has been circling the globe from pole to pole, 14 times a day, since 2006 and has now exceeded its design lifetime.
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Blobrana · L

Metop-B Lift-off

Metop-B lifts-off the launch pad at 18:28:40 CEST from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

Blobrana · L

The Soyuz rocket with the MetOp-B satellite has successfully launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome.

Blobrana · L

MetOp-B launch - Annotated timeline

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Blobrana · L

Europe's Metop weather satellite set for Soyuz launch

One of the most important European space launches of the year takes place from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, later.
A Soyuz rocket will put the four-tonne Metop-B satellite in orbit to acquire critical data for weather forecasters.
The spacecraft will ensure there is continuity of observations following on from Metop-A, which was launched in 2006.
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Blobrana · L

MetOp-B launch brought forward to 17 September

The launch of MetOp-B has been brought forward by two days to 17 September.
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Blobrana · L

New launch date confirmed for Metop-B

The revised launch date for the Metop-B satellite from the Baikonur Cosmodrome has been set for 19 September 2012. The launch campaign will resume in early July.
The Metop-B satellite is being stored in a controlled environment in the Starsem facilities in Baikonur and will be subject to a set of tests and preparatory activities until its fuelling which is currently planned for August.
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Blobrana · L

Metop-B launch postponed

EUMETSAT and the European Space Agency (ESA) have been informed by the launch service provider, Starsem, that the launch of the Metop-B satellite by a Soyuz rocket, scheduled for 23 May from Baikonur, had to be postponed. This is due to additional measures required to ensure the availability of safe drop zones for parts of the launcher after liftoff.
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