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Europe's first geostationary sounder satellite is launched

(www.eumetsat.int)
198 points diggan | 3 comments | 05 Jul 25 14:21 UTC | HN request time: 0.703s | source
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perihelions ◴[05 Jul 25 14:29 UTC] No.44473039[source]▶
> "MTG-S1’s Infrared Sounder will scan nearly 2,000 thermal infrared wavelengths every 30 minutes to build vertical profiles of temperature, humidity, and trace gases. These data will be crucial for detecting fast-developing convective weather by revealing sudden shifts in instability, moisture, or wind – even before clouds begin to form."

In other words, it is

> "The Infrared Sounder on MTG-S1 is the first hyperspectral sounding instrument in geostationary orbit."

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Meteoro...

Is there a more technical article describing this hyperspectral instrument somewhere? It sounds pretty novel.

edit: Also, I'm now confused about the ESA's claim to be "the first", because

> "In 2016, the Chinese Meteorological Agency (CMA) launched the Geostationary Interferometric Infrared Sounder (GIIRS), to be the first hyperspectral sounder in geostationary orbit"

https://www.aos.wisc.edu/aosjournal/Volume38/Loveless_PhD.pd... (PhD thesis of David M. Loveless (2021))

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1. diggan ◴[05 Jul 25 14:47 UTC] No.44473145[source]▶
> edit: Also, I'm now confused about the ESA's claim to be the "first", because

I think you might have misread the title, "Europe’s first [...]"

> Is there a more technical article describing this hyperspectral instrument somewhere?

https://space.oscar.wmo.int/instruments/view/irs has an short overview

Then this document provides an introduction (+ details) about the MTG-IRS program in general: https://user.eumetsat.int/s3/eup-strapi-media/MTG_IRS_L2_ATB...

replies(1): >>44473165 #
2. perihelions ◴[05 Jul 25 14:50 UTC] No.44473165[source]▶
> "I think you might have misread the title,"

No; I'm quoting the esa.int article verbatim. The eumetsat.int article qualifies "...over Europe", but the esa.int does not. I suspect esa.int is just mistaken.

replies(1): >>44474300 #
3. dylan604 ◴[05 Jul 25 17:43 UTC] No.44474300[source]▶
Clearly, if it’s not European, it doesn’t count.