Weather satellites

EUMETSAT declares Meteosat infrared sounder data operational

The operator’s October 13 notice records the transition from pre-operational observations and supplies filename examples bearing the operational marker.

14 October 2026 at 9:46 am ISTBy Science Desk2 min read

Updated 14 October 2026 at 9:46 am IST: Follow-up to our October 7 report: EUMETSAT’s updated notice now records the October 13 operational declaration and gives filenames with the O disposition marker.

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Artist’s impression of the Meteosat Third Generation system, released by ESA on August 5, 2022; the sounding satellite is at right. This illustration does not depict the October 2026 data-status declaration. Credit: ESA/Mlabspace, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/); original image unchanged.

EUMETSAT has declared Level 1 infrared-sounder data from Meteosat Third Generation Sounder 1 operational, with the designation taking effect on October 13, 2026, at 10:00 UTC. The operator’s updated notice records the declaration after a pre-operational release in July, resolving the October 13 transition that it had previously scheduled.

The updated notice lists principal-component data and their hourly local-area variant as available through EUMETCast and EUMETSAT’s Data Store. Full spectral radiances and their hourly variant are available through the Data Store. These remain Level 1 observations; the announcement does not describe a new release of retrieved atmospheric products.

EUMETSAT’s notice associates the operational designation with a change in the filename’s disposition-mode marker from C to O. It supplies example filenames dated October 13 that carry the O marker. Those examples document the naming convention in the notice; this report has not independently checked files received by users.

The data-distribution system crosses national borders. EUMETSAT’s EUMETCast Europe guide describes satellite delivery across Europe and Africa, plus terrestrial delivery over research networks in Europe and further afield. The guide cautions that available products differ by broadcast, so the sounder notice’s EUMETCast listing does not establish availability on every regional service.

Users wishing to receive the sounder data through EUMETCast are directed to register through EUMETSAT’s user portal. The declaration establishes the operator’s current data status; the notice does not report a measured improvement in weather forecasts.

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