Recognizing the central role of Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) in operational meteorology and its contribution to Kopernikus, formerly Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), and climate monitoring, the Space Council welcomed the joint preparation by the European Space Agency (ESA) and EUMETSAT of a program proposal for MTG to be submitted to the ESA Council in November and then to the EUMETSAT Council in December. In his speech to the Space Council, Dr. Prahm said the MTG program "is the result of an intense interaction between EUMETSAT and its user community" and "will ensure the continuity of key meteorological observations," as well as contribute to areas such as atmosphere and climate change. He described MTG as "an ambitious and technologically challenging program" which will be implemented using the successful cooperation model between ESA and EUMETSAT.
The Space Council recognized the role of EUMETSAT in monitoring climate change. It called on the scientific community, in conjunction with the European Commission, ESA and EUMETSAT, to define how Kopernikus services and European space observation archives can contribute most effectively to the provision of data including Essential Climate Variables for scientific research.
The main purpose of the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) is to deliver weather, climate and environment-related satellite data, images and products – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Photo on right is of volcanic eruption of Etna.