14 DAY TRIAL // Officials from the European Space Agency (ESA) announce that they have finally decided on a new launch date for the second of three Metop polar-orbiting meteorological satellites that the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) needs in space.
In early July, the launch campaign will resume inside the controlled-environment facilities where the spacecraft is currently being stored, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan. The spaceport is operated by the Russian Federal Space Agency (RosCosmos).
Fueling activities are scheduled to begin in August, in anticipation of the newly established September 19 launch date. Several sets of tests and preparatory activities will also be carried out over the next two months, the ESA officials add.
Metop-B contains instruments provided by the French Space Agency (CNES) and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).