The EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS) is the European contribution to the joint European/US operational polar satellite system (Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS)). It covers the mid-morning (AM) orbit, whereas the US part continues to cover the afternoon (PM) orbit. The satellites of this new polar system are the MetOp (METeorological OPerational Satellite) satellites, jointly developed with ESA. They will deliver high resolution sounding and also high-resolution imagery in global coverage. Three successive METOP spacecraft are foreseen for a sun synchronous orbit in the 9:30 AM equator crossing (descending node). They will provide polar data from 2006 onwards.

Some payload instruments of the MetOp payload are the heritage of successful preoperational missions, namely the GOME-2 (Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment), and the ASCAT (Advanced Scatterometer). The GRAS (GPS Radio Occultation Sounder), instrument follows on from experimental research missions.

Other instruments owe their heritage to the US POES programme, and include the AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer), and the Advanced TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (ATOVS) package. ATOVS is composed of the HIRS-4 (High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder), the AMSU-A (Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit - A) and the MHS (Microwave Humidity Sounder). MHS is an EUMETSAT development, replacing the earlier AMSU-B instrument, whereas the other instruments are provided by NOAA. These instruments assure the continuity to the ATOVS suite flown on the NOAA-KLM satellites.

The most innovative instrument is the IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer), which is developed by CNES and provides unprecedented high vertical temperature and humidity resolution sounding.

The EPS programme is planned to cover 14 years of operation. This poster will give an overview on the EPS mission, the products and services provided to users, and will show first results obtained from MetOp-A during the commissioning phase. EPS/MetOp supports both operational meteorology and climate monitoring, and will provide a contribution to global earth system monitoring.