Satellite to mark new era of weather forecasting

BERLIN, Oct 17 (Reuters) A European satellite which promises to deliver much-improved data on weather patterns and greenhouse gases is due to be launched today, after three previous attempts were scuppered by technical problems.

A Russian Soyuz rocket is due to blast off from the Kazakh Baikonur Cosmodrome at 2158 IST today, carrying MetOp, the first of three new European weather satellites, into space.

The satellite will go into a polar orbit around the earth, meaning it will circle the globe every 90 minutes, or 40 times a day, gathering meteorological images and atmospheric data.

''The European satellite will work in conjunction with a US satellite and the two together will give very good coverage,'' said Nicola Gebers, a spokeswoman at the European Space Agency (ESA) in Darmstadt, which jointly developed the satellite.

MetOp, which weighs around 4 tonnes or three times as much as the average European family car, will be positioned at around 900 kms above the earth.

This is significantly closer than Europe's Meteosat satellite which is in a fixed, geostationary orbit some 36,000 kilometres above the equator. Launched in the 1970s, Meteosat can mainly cover the weather above Africa and Europe.

''MetOp is not only closer but it will also give full coverage,'' Gebers said, noting that its orbit means it can cover more of the globe and in particular the polar regions. ''In terms of weather forecasting it will be more precise.'' Delivered on a specially adapted train, the MetOp launch rocket has been erected at the site ready for blast off today. The satellite will be handed over to the Darmstadt-based operator, EUMETSAT, after three days in orbit.

Around 6.5 metres high, MetOp carries European and also US instruments designed to record air pressure, air temperature, humidity, cloud formations and wind patterns as well as ozone and methane concentrations.

Part of a 2.4 billion euro project, once operational it will be renamed MetOp A. Two further satellites, MetOp B and MetOp C, will be launched in a further five and 10 years' time.

Three attempts were made to launch MetOp in July but technical problems meant the blast-off had to be delayed.

REUTERS SP ND0852