Lifesaving Leonardo technology launched on new METOP-SG ESA satellite

The Leonardo sensors are fitted to the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer New Generation (IASI-NG) instrument aboard the METOP-SG (A) weather satellite, which was launched on the Arianne 6 launcher from French Guiana on 13 August and is currently orbiting earth.

It will provide unprecedented levels of detail, allowing the weather satellite, operated by Eumetsat, to gather measurements of temperature, humidity, clouds, greenhouse gases, aerosols and trace gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. All of these elements can be gathered to form more accurate weather predictions.

Matthew Hicks, Space Capability Manager at Leonardo in Southampton, said: “The severe weather events have provided incredible motivation to our scientists to improve our technology to safeguard people’s lives. There is an understandable increase in concern about weather events, which is heightening the demand for ‘nowcasting’. Nowcasting is essentially the requirement to know what has happened in the recent past, what is happening now and what is likely to happen in the near future. The new sensor will allow us to address those concerns by providing an improved granularity of data and information. That concern also extends to our ongoing need to understand more about climate change to protect our planet and this is where you find the more data you have, the better.”

Reports of extreme weather are becoming increasingly common, including the extreme weather event which occurred in Spain in October 2024. This has heightened the sense of urgency to make weather observations more accurate, to enable meteorologists to improve their weather forecasts well in advance of weather events.

The IASI-NG instrument, built by Airbus Defence and Space in Toulouse, will provide frequent atmospheric observations that are crucial for both local and global weather prediction, supporting accurate forecasts up to 10 days in advance. Its data will enhance nowcasting applications by monitoring atmospheric instability, which is particularly valuable at higher latitudes where geostationary satellite coverage is limited. Beyond forecasting, IASI-NG’s global measurements of ozone, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, ammonia, nitrogen dioxide and other trace gases, it will also play a key role in climate research, monitoring air quality and emissions.

Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said: “Leonardo’s cutting-edge sensor technology, now orbiting Earth aboard ESA’s METOP-SG satellite, demonstrates how British engineering in space is helping to protect lives on Earth and deepen our understanding of climate change. This significant achievement will help to empower meteorologists worldwide with the data they need to forecast extreme weather and safeguard communities.”

Along with the technology built in UK, Leonardo also provided an innovative electro-optical instrument and crucial space services to the Metop-SGA1 mission. Leonardo in Italy built the 3MI (Multi-viewing Multi-channel Multi-polarisation Imager), which is able to provide accurate atmospheric aerosol and cloud imagery for climate monitoring, air quality forecasts and numerical weather prediction. Telespazio, a company controlled by the Leonardo Group, took over operational control of the satellite from the Fucino Space Centre in Italy, leading the critical phases of orbit insertion (LEOP).