EUMETSAT provides its 30 member states with meteorological imagery and data that are essential for keeping their communities safe and for the benefit of critical sectors of their economies. The organisation cooperates with agencies around the world, securing additional satellite data of benefit to weather forecasting and climate monitoring.
EUMETSAT is a key partner in the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation programme.
Along with European Space Agency and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), EUMETSAT is a partner in the EU’s Destination Earth initiative, creating digital twins of the entire Earth system.
Geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites
EUMETSAT operates both geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites. The data and products from EUMETSAT's satellites are vital to weather forecasting and make a significant contribution to the monitoring of the environment and climate change.
Read more about the satellite missions on the EUMETSAT web site:
- Meteosat geostationary satellites, providing imagery for the early detection of fast-developing severe weather, weather forecasting and climate monitoring
- Metop polar-orbiting satellites, providing global data for weather forecasts up to 10 days in advance and climate monitoring
- Sentinel, delivering the marine and atmospheric composition missions for Copernicus, and
- Jason, providing global sea surface height observations for climate monitoring and ocean and seasonal forecasts.
Satellite observations archive
EUMETSAT’s archive of satellite observations over more than 40 years provides climate scientists around the world with long-term, homogenous data necessary for monitoring climate change.
SMHI and EUMETSAT
SMHI uses data supplied by EUMETSAT for both meteorological and oceanographic purposes. Today, satellites provide one of the most important sources of data used in the production of weather forecasts.
The SMHI R&D contributes to two of the EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facilities (SAF):