Meteorology, Meteorological, History

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HISTORY OF EUMETSAT, p65.

HISTORY OF EUMETSAT, p63.

p64

be complex and interwoven with a number of EUMETSAT's internal debates. These included the question of what role EUMETSAT should play in both the ground and space segment of space-based meteorology and whether EUMETSAT should consider meteorology from geostationary and polar orbit as a single programme or two separate programmes¹². In mid-1987, EUMETSAT was not ready to tackle these deep policy issues.

What was needed in those early days was simply an endorsement of some kind by EUMETSAT of ESA's work on the MSG programme. ESA's Executive had already included the programme in the Agency's own Long-Term Plan, which it intended to present to its ruling Council scheduled to meet at ministerial level later in 1987. It is during these ministerial meetings that the ESA Executive's policy and funding plans are endorsed, modified or

The hard copy of this book contains a table here which is a comparison of the Avignon concept (1984) and the MSG (scheduled for launch in 2002).

12 - This discussion was both technical and political. The technical debate concerned the effectiveness of sounding from polar and geostationary orbit. The political debate related to the fact that the northern countries wished to see a mission in polar orbit supported as strenuously as the geostationary missions on the basis that data from polar orbit was of more value to them and because support for polar was the quid pro quo for supporting Meteosat. From a meteorological standpoint, of course, it makes sense to have data from both orbits. In the end, for practical decision-making purposes, EUMETSAT decided to consider the two programmes separately, but for policy and strategic decision-making the two are effectively one.

SEE ALSO| |

1. Meteorologists shed political shackles, a review of Declan Murphy's history of the first 25 years of EUMETSAT (2011), by Helen Gavaghan.

2. An interview in 2010 with Dr Tillman Mohr, a special advisor to the secretary general of the World Meteorological Organisation, in Science, People & Politics.

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Contents

Preface

Foreword

Introduction

Ch.1

Ch.2

Ch.3

Ch.4

Ch.5

Ch.6

Ch.7

Ch.8

The History of EUMETSAT is available in English and French from EUMETSAT©.
First printed 2001. ISBN 92-9110-040-4

Eumetsat meteorology meteorological artificial satellites
European Space Agency weather climate policy politics history