EUMETSAT has recently awarded the contracts for the EPS-SG payload exploitation ground segment, selecting Elecnor Deimos for the provision of the operational processors of 6 of the instruments. The EPS-SG programme is expected to be among the most important providers of satellite observation data for all forecasts based on Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) from 2020 to 2040. The instrument data will be provided to the users in near real-time, after acquisition and processing by the ground segment.
These contracts, together with the ones obtained for the processor prototypes of the development phase that was managed by the European Space Agency (ESA) between 2015 and 2016, position Deimos as a leader in the processing of EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS). EUMETSAT will provide services and operate the polar orbiting satellites for a nominal duration of 21 years, which leads to an expected workload for Deimos that involves long-term development and updates.
EPS-SG consists of two, parallel series of satellites, Metop-SG A and Metop-SG B, and a constellation deployment scenario allowing parallel operations of multiple satellites. The programme will generate important socio-economic benefits to EUMETSAT Member and Cooperating States, leveraging the capability of polar orbiting satellites to deliver unique infrared and microwave imagery inputs from high latitudes that are key to the National Meteorological Services. It represents the European contribution to the future Joint Polar System (JPS) that, as the Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS), will be established together with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States.