METOP-C
Operator: ESA · Country: European Meteorological Satellite Organization · Also known as: Meteorological operational satellite - C
Live Position
Ground Track · Last 90 Minutes
Upcoming Passes · Over Your Location
About This Satellite
Metop-C launched on November 7, 2018, joining the first-generation Metop weather constellation. ESA handled the launch and early-orbit phase before EUMETSAT assumed control. With Metop-A and Metop-B already in space, the new arrival made three spacecraft available for a coordinated programme of atmospheric and surface observations.
Control handover began another phase of testing
Taking responsibility for the spacecraft did not mean every observation product was immediately operational. The November 2018 announcement described instrument activation and commissioning work still ahead. This is a useful distinction between flying a healthy platform and releasing sufficiently validated measurements to weather services.
A constellation is an observing system, not just a count
Three orbital markers do not directly specify forecast improvement or the number of useful observations. Instrument characteristics, timing, processing, and quality assessment determine what can be combined. For an individual Metop-C measurement, the relevant product documentation is more informative than the mere presence of the spacecraft in this catalog.
Mission reference: EUMETSAT: Metop-C launch and control handover. Editorial review: .
Operational did not mean replacing Metop-B as prime
EUMETSAT's July-December 2019 operations report records Metop-C becoming operational on July 3, 2019. It also explains that Metop-B remained the prime satellite because Metop-C microwave sounder performance was poorer. The realised service configuration therefore differed from a simple assumption that the newest spacecraft must take the lead.
Reference: EUMETSAT Central Operations Report: second half of 2019.
What the coastal-wind product actually reports
The Metop-C ASCAT coastal-wind product provides equivalent-neutral winds at a reference height of 10 metres over the ocean, on a 12.5 km swath grid. That grid spacing is not a 12.5-metre image resolution, and the reference height is not the satellite altitude. Product quality flags and coastal processing matter when interpreting a vector near land.
Reference: EUMETSAT: Metop-C ASCAT coastal winds.
Reading this orbital snapshot
Based on TLE epoch: 2026-09-05. Estimated altitude ranges from 820 km at perigee to 821 km at apogee, a difference of 1 km. The orbital period is about 101.3 minutes. Eccentricity 0.00009 indicates a nearly circular path. In a two-body approximation, perigee speed is 1.00 times apogee speed. These are mean-element estimates, not instantaneous measurements. Distance per orbit uses an ellipse approximation.
Saved build snapshot. If a valid TLE is retrieved, this explanation and the orbit panel update together. Otherwise this dated snapshot is retained.
Ground track is not sensor coverage
An inclination of 98.70 degrees implies approximate geocentric ground-track limits of 81.3 degrees north and south. This is a retrograde orbit, moving against the direction of Earth rotation. The plotted line marks the point beneath the object. It does not represent camera coverage, radio reception, or a guaranteed visible pass.
Accuracy and missing information
The introductory record describes the build snapshot. The orbital snapshot explanation and orbit panel share any successfully retrieved TLE; check the displayed epoch. Reentered objects retain historical data only. Mission history is not rewritten by TLE updates. TLE/SGP4 positions are predictions and can change after maneuvers or updated observations. The 14-day stale-data cutoff is a display safeguard, not an accuracy guarantee. Local passes are geometric predictions, not a visibility forecast. No verified operator or mission status means unknown, not active. Do not use this catalog for collision avoidance or operational flight decisions.
Catalog sources: CelesTrak SATCAT: NORAD 43689 · GCAT: S43689 (source update 2026 Sep 4 2345:57). Supplementary metadata: SatNOGS DB, retrieved 2026-09-05T12:57:25.375Z. Page assembled 2026-09-15. GCAT phase codes describe trajectory phases, not mission health.
Learn more: TLE data · Perigee and apogee · Ground tracks · JOT (Jewawud Live Orbital Map)