MetOp-SG-B1 weather satellite reaches French Guiana ahead of Ariane 6 launch

The MetOp Second Generation-B1 weather satellite has arrived at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana after a 10-day Atlantic crossing from Bordeaux aboard the wind-assisted ship Canopée. It reached Pariacabo harbour on 16 October and was unloaded the next day, then placed in storage for a couple of weeks before launch preparations start. The cargo totalled 75 tonnes, including six containers of launch equipment.

An Ariane 6 launch is expected at the end of 2026. B1 will join MetOp-SG-A1, launched in August 2025. The B-type satellite carries five instruments: a scatterometer, a radio occultation sounder, a microwave imager, an ice cloud imager and the Argos-4 data collection system. Between them the two satellites carry 11 instruments. The full programme comprises three pairs of satellites for polar-orbit forecasting over at least two decades.

Why it matters: B1 will add ocean-surface winds, soil moisture, precipitation and ice-cloud measurements to the polar-orbit weather data stream. These data feed forecasting models and climate monitoring that African meteorological services draw on indirectly.