Jean-Yves Le Gall, CNES president, and Alain Ratier, director general of EUMETSAT. Photo: CNES/Olivier Pascaud

[Via Satellite 12-10-2015] The French Space Agency CNES and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (Eumetsat) have signed a cooperation agreement for the development of a new generation of Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometers (IASI-NG) to be flown on three successive Metop SG A satellites of the EUMETSAT Polar System of Second Generation (EPS-SG) in the 2021 to 2040 timeframe. CNES agreed to fund 70 percent of the development cost of the first instrument, develop the full IASI-NG system comprised of the instrument and the data processing chain, supply recurrent instruments and provide support to operations. EUMETSAT will fund 30 percent of the development costs of the first instrument and the recurrent instruments in full, integrate the IASI-NG data processing chain in its operational ground systems and exploit the IASI-NG instrumental chain.

The IASI-NG instruments will measure infrared spectra with twice the spectral resolution and radiometric accuracy of IASI. This will allow extraction of more accurate vertical profiles of temperature and humidity with higher vertical resolution close to the surface, a key requirement for further improving Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models at global and regional scales, at ranges of 12 hours to more than 10 days ahead. These improvements will also allow more quantitative information to be retrieved on trace and greenhouse gases like ozone, methane and carbon monoxide, boosting air quality forecasting and climate monitoring, in combination with other instruments.