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| Meteor-M2 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Meteor-M2 |
| Mission type | Earth observation |
| Operator | Russian Federal Space Agency |
| Manufacturer | VNIIEM, NPO Lavochkin |
| Launch mass | 2740 kg |
| Power | solar panels |
| Launch date | 2014-07-08 |
| Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome |
| Orbit type | Sun-synchronous |
Meteor-M2
Meteor-M2 is a Russian polar-orbiting satellite developed for operational weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and environmental surveillance. The spacecraft was procured and operated by the Russian Federal Space Agency in collaboration with industrial contractors including VNIIEM and NPO Lavochkin, and it was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome to a Sun-synchronous orbit to continue a lineage of Soviet and Russian meteorological platforms such as those in the Meteor series and the MetOp family.
Meteor-M2 continues a Soviet-era program that includes predecessors launched during the Soviet Union era and later Russian initiatives coordinated with agencies like the Russian Hydrometeorological Centre and international partners involved with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change studies. The satellite contributes to operational services comparable to NOAA polar systems and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites constellation, enabling global coverage for applications tied to agencies such as the World Meteorological Organization and programs like Global Climate Observing System.
Meteor-M2 was designed by contractors including VNIIEM and NPO Lavochkin, drawing heritage from spacecraft such as Meteor-M predecessors and contemporary platforms like MetOp-A and EOS Aqua. The spacecraft bus supports a payload suite with radiometers, scanners, and data relay hardware and is powered by deployable solar arrays and batteries similar to architectures used by RESURS and Canopus-B satellites. Telemetry, tracking, and command functions interface with ground stations at facilities like Svalbard Satellite Station partners and Russian installations co-located with the Plesetsk Cosmodrome network.
Meteor-M2 was launched on 8 July 2014 aboard a Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle from Baikonur Cosmodrome, following integration and testing sequences akin to procedures at TsENKI and contractor integration sites used by Roscosmos. After orbital insertion into a Sun-synchronous orbit, the satellite entered operational commissioning phases coordinated with organizations such as the Russian Hydrometeorological Centre and international data users including EUMETSAT and NOAA affiliates. Over its operational life, Meteor-M2 provided routine imaging sessions and data collections comparable to time series from Landsat, MODIS, and VIIRS instruments operated by other agencies.
The payload aboard Meteor-M2 included a multispectral visible/infrared scanner and passive microwave radiometer with functional similarities to instruments on MetOp and NOAA satellites. Specific subsystems were designed and supplied by Russian institutes and firms like IKI and VNIIEM collaborators, offering channels for cloud monitoring, sea-surface temperature, ice extent, and atmospheric profiling used by centers such as the Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia and research institutions including Moscow State University and the Pulkovo Observatory. Data types produced supported assimilation into numerical weather prediction systems maintained by entities like European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and Global Forecast System operators.
Data downlink and processing were handled through a network of ground stations and mission control elements linked to Roscosmos and the Russian Federal Space Agency infrastructure, with coordination points analogous to services at Kiruna and global data exchange frameworks run by the WMO and CEOS. Processing chains converted raw telemetry into geophysical products for distribution to operational forecasting organizations such as the Russian Hydrometeorological Centre and research centers like the Russian Academy of Sciences, and for integration with international repositories used by NASA and ESA researchers.
Meteor-M2 products served a range of users including national services such as the Russian Hydrometeorological Centre, regional authorities across the Russian Federation, international partners including EUMETSAT and WMO members, and scientific communities at institutions like IKI and Moscow State University. Applications encompassed short-term forecasting relied upon by aeronautical operators at airports like Sheremetyevo, maritime services in the Arctic region, cryospheric monitoring for institutes such as AARI, and climate research cited in assessments by the IPCC.
During its operational life, Meteor-M2 experienced onboard anomalies that affected data continuity and required intervention by mission teams within organizations such as Roscosmos and contractor support from NPO Lavochkin and VNIIEM. Such incidents were addressed through procedures similar to anomaly response processes used by programs like MetOp and NOAA to restore capacity or re-task ground processing pipelines, and they prompted assessments by research institutes including IKI and operational centers such as the Russian Hydrometeorological Centre.
Category:Earth observation satellites of Russia Category:Spacecraft launched in 2014