EUMETSAT Polar System - Second Generation (EPS-SG) and Potential Expansion Missions

The EUMETSAT Polar System – Second Generation (EPS-SG) is currently in the final stages of development. EPS-SG is the EUMETSAT contribution to the Joint Polar System (JPS), a cooperation between EUMETSAT and the USA’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). EPS-SG will continue and improve the high-quality data provided by the Metop series of satellites from the mid-morning polar orbit, in support of operational meteorology and environmental and climate monitoring, over decades. In addition, EUMETSAT in cooperation with ESA is preparing possible expansion missions, namely EPS-Aeolus, a Doppler wind lidar mission, and EPS-Sterna, a constellation of small polar-orbiting satellites providing passive microwave soundings of the atmosphere. A summary of the capabilities of EPS-SG and the potential expansion missions and their development timelines will be provided.