The satellite was launched on Friday and the orbit passes both the Arctic and Antarctic, which is rare.
“The Arctic Weather Satellite will make one revolution around the Earth in an hour and a half, which means it will circle the poles several times a day. This means that it will not only produce completely new types of weather data, but also significantly more frequently such”, says Johan Marcopoulos, communications manager at the Swedish Space Agency, in a press release.
By collecting data on, among other things, moisture and temperature variations in clouds, meteorologists should in turn be able to make more reliable weather forecasts.
Even climate scientists benefit from the information in the clouds. By measuring the amount of ice crystals and water droplets, they can find out how much radiation is reflected back, something that affects global warming.
The satellite will send information to, among others, SMHI in Norrköping.
About the Arctic Weather Satellite
Recorded on August 16, 20:56 Swedish time, from Vandenberg in California.
The satellite is about the same size as a dishwasher, 110x70x80 centimeters, and weighs 120 kilos.
The satellite travels in a so-called polar orbit, i.e. over the Arctic and Antarctic. It is 600 kilometers from Earth, which is a low altitude compared to other satellites.
The project is funded by the European Space Agency (ESA).
Source: The Swedish Space Agency