EUMETSAT plans operational sounder data from October 13

EUMETSAT plans to declare infrared-sounder Level 1 data from Meteosat Third Generation Sounder 1 operational on October 13, 2026, according to a notice published on October 1. The observations have been available in pre-operational form since July. The announcement schedules a change in data status; it does not report that the transition has already happened.

The notice specifies two products. Principal-component data are available through EUMETCast and EUMETSAT’s Data Store, while full spectral radiances are available through the Data Store. Both are identified as Level 1 data in the announcement, rather than a release of retrieved atmospheric products.

When the operational designation takes effect, EUMETSAT will change the disposition-mode marker in the filenames from “C” to “O”. Its User Notification Service lists this as a product change for the sounder’s Level 1 data.

The distribution infrastructure serves users across national borders. EUMETSAT’s April 2026 EUMETCast guide describes satellite delivery across Europe and Africa, supplemented by terrestrial research networks in Europe and further afield. The sounder notice identifies EUMETCast as a delivery route for the principal-component product; it does not specify availability on each regional broadcast.

Users seeking EUMETCast access to these data are directed to register through EUMETSAT’s user portal. The October 13 operational declaration remains the next dated step in the notice.