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METOP-B

Metop-B is a European polar-orbiting meteorological satellite launched in 2012. Its instruments provide temperature, humidity, wind and other atmospheric measurements used in numerical weather prediction.

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Object identity

NORAD ID
38771
COSPAR ID
2012-049A
Operator
Not listed
Country
Not listed
Launch date
Not listed

Immediate discovery

Why this satellite matters

Weather prediction is fundamentally a mathematical initial-value problem: satellites improve the starting state of the atmosphere that numerical models then project forward in time.

Understanding the mission

Science and engineering ideas

Weather prediction is fundamentally a mathematical initial-value problem: satellites improve the starting state of the atmosphere that numerical models then project forward in time.

Mission

Mission and purpose

Weather spacecraft carry instruments that observe Earth and its atmosphere in visible, infrared, microwave, or other wavelengths. Different orbits provide either repeated regional views or broad global coverage.

  • Weather prediction is fundamentally a mathematical initial-value problem: satellites improve the starting state of the atmosphere that numerical models then project forward in time.

Design

Engineering

Weather prediction is fundamentally a mathematical initial-value problem: satellites improve the starting state of the atmosphere that numerical models then project forward in time.

Real orbital values

The mathematics

The current two-line element set reports approximately 14.2146 revolutions per day. Dividing 1,440 minutes by that value gives an estimated orbital period of 101.3 minutes.

Period

101.3 min

Representative speed

26,789 km/h

Representative altitude

828 km

Inclination

98.64°

These are representative calculations derived from current orbital elements, not fixed physical specifications. Altitude and speed change around an elliptical orbit, and predictions change as new orbital elements are published.

Launch record

Launch and deployment

Metop-B launched on 17 September 2012 aboard a Soyuz-2/Fregat from Baikonur Cosmodrome.

TransitSatellite does not estimate historical launch weather. Temperature, clouds, wind, holds, and scrub reasons will appear only when supported by traceable historical sources.

Orbit

LEO orbit explained

Low Earth orbit is the region closest to Earth used by most crewed spacecraft, many science missions, Earth-observation satellites, and large constellations. Objects move quickly and commonly complete an orbit in roughly 90 to 130 minutes.

LEO can provide detailed Earth views, lower communications delay, and easier access than higher orbits, but it covers less area per spacecraft and is more affected by atmospheric drag.

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Learning

Questions to explore

  • Why can infrared instruments observe clouds at night?
  • What is the difference between continuous regional coverage and global coverage?

Evidence

Sources and data notes

Current identity and orbital elements come from CelesTrak’s public GP data. Calculated orbit values are derived from the current TLE and may change after catalog updates. Mission-history claims are added separately and require authoritative sources.

Catalog updated

Sep 17, 2026, 5:37 AM UTC

Story review

1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z