DTU-ESA Facility passes Test Readiness Review for MetOp SG Prototype Flight Model Measurement Campaign.
The DTU-ESA Facility is in charge of the on-ground calibration of the antenna system for the microwave scatterometer on-board the 3 Series B satellites of EUMETSAT’s up-coming MetOp Second Generation Satellite system; this science instrument serves to determine global distribution of soil moisture and ocean surface wind speed.
The advanced antenna system requires high-accuracy testing to assess the performance before the satellite integration and launch. Following 3 years of preparatory work, the DTU-ESA Facility passed the important Test Readiness Review for Airbus and ESA on 6 November 2020, and we are now ready to start receiving the precious flight hardware for the first Prototype Flight Model satellite this December for the measurement campaign that will last until April 2020.
The test campaigns for the second Flight Model 2 and third Flight Model 3 satellites will take place in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Photo: The DTU-ESA Spherical Near-Field Antenna Test Facility, where DTU Electrical Engineering carries out high-precision measurements for the European Space Centre, ESA. Photo: Torben Nielsen