EUMETSAT Meteorological Satellite Conference 2026

The EUMETSAT new-generation fleeFt is now becoming a key asset for operational Earth observations. This session aims to assess satellite products and their initial use in different application areas. By 2026, we expect a consolidated analysis of Meteosat 12 and of the Arctic Weather Satellite, as well as an initial assessment of the first EUMETSAT polar system and the EUMETSAT geostationary hyperspectral sounder. The Copernicus Sentinel missions focusing on atmospheric composition capabilities and altimetry applications will be further explored. Finally, we intend to explore synergies across missions, with a dedicated focus on the EUMETSAT-NOAA joint polar satellite system.

The session will be organised around 6 thematic blocks:

1. 1.A – MTG-I operational products and new developments
2. 1.B – Early Metop-SGA products and future considerations
3. 1.C – New atmospheric composition capabilities
4. 1.D – Microwave imaging and sounding - present and future missions
5. 1.E – Towards operationalisation of synergy products (multi-instrument, multi-platform and fusion)
6. 1.F – EUMETSAT-NOAA joint polar satellite system

This session focuses on the critical journey from raw Earth observation data to actionable climate intelligence. The session will explore the contribution of different missions, from EUMETSAT, Copernicus and international partners, to monitor the carbon, energy and water cycles. This will allow the community to review key operational contributions to greenhouse gas monitoring, such as CO2M and other missions, top of the atmosphere energy budget or water resources. It will cover also the generation of Fundamental and Climate Data Records, their application in different value chains, and the co-creation process with end-users to ensure products directly inform climate services and policy.

1. 2.A – Climate Data Records: Recent progress
2. 2.B – Climate Data Records: Features and extremes
3. 2.C – Climate Data Records and their usage: Precipitation and droughts
4. 2.D – Greenhouse gases and atmospheric composition
5. 2.E – Climate Data Records and information products
6. 2.F – Climate applications: Lightning, wildfire and co-creation of climate services

This session examines how satellite observations enable seamless prediction systems across all timescales. A core focus is quantifying the impact of this data on forecast skill and translating these advancements into actionable, sector-specific predictions for managing wildfires, energy grids, aviation, and other critical applications.

• 3.A – Satellite data use in seamless prediction from nowcasting to seasonal prediction
• 3.B – Impact assessment of observational data
• 3.C – Prediction for key sectors: wildfires, energy, aviation and other relevant applications

This session delves into the evolving landscape of technology trends in the space sector, with a forward-looking approach to the next 25 years. Key discussions will include a foresight session by invitation. Furthermore, participants will explore instrumental trends and the readiness of different solutions. Additionally, the session will address cloud and digital trends that can be critical to building future ground segments.

This session will comprise three key blocks:

• 4.A – Foresight session by invitation
• 4.B – Planned and future mission concepts and instrument technology trends
• 4.C – Data access, cloud ecosystems and ground-segment technologies

This session focuses on the critical zones where Earth's major systems interact: the ocean-atmosphere, land-atmosphere and ice-atmosphere interfaces. We will explore the latest satellite observations and derived products that monitor these dynamic surfaces (land, ocean, cryosphere) and the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL)—the turbulent atmospheric layer directly influenced by them. Presentations will cover how this data is revolutionising our understanding of energy, moisture, and momentum exchanges, which are fundamental to weather, climate, and environmental forecasting.

• 5.A – Surface interfaces: altimetry, land, ocean and cryosphere
• 5.B – Planetary Boundary Layer

This session provides insight into the coordination of European and international operational satellite initiatives, set within the broader framework of key global coordination mechanisms such as the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites (CGMS) and other international networks. We will invite operational agencies and leading research institutions to present their current and future horizons for environmental satellite programmes. A core focus will be on discussing how these entities interact and align their efforts—both with each other and within these vital international forums—to address global environmental and climate monitoring challenges. The first day's introductory session will provide a comprehensive overview of national, European, and international Earth observation programmes, establishing the foundational landscape for these discussions.

• 6.A – 40 years of collaboration with EUMETSAT – international partners
• 6.B – International and European EO coordination mechanisms

This hands-on training will explore how Sentinel-3 FRP and MTG FCI data can be used to analyse fire events in terms of intensity and fire dynamics. Participants will be introduced to Copernicus and EUMETSAT products and will learn the practical workflows for accessing, visualising, and interpreting satellite data in the context of active fire events.

The workshop will take place on Tuesday 22 September from 12:30 to 14:00.

This tutorial is designed for a broad audience of Earth observation data users who want to explore and analyse EO data through data cubes without needing deep technical expertise.

Participants will be guided through accessing pre-configured data cubes containing selected EUMETSAT datasets. Using an interactive environment, they will learn how to:

• explore multi-dimensional EO data,
• create custom plots and visualisations,
• perform simple analyses tailored to their use cases.

The tutorial provides an accessible introduction to modern EO data access methods, lowering the barrier between complex EO datasets and practical analysis. Participants leave with hands-on experience on how to work with selected EUMETSAT and SAF datasets, and a better understanding of the richness of information these datasets contain.

The workshop will take place on Wednesday 23 September from 12:30 to 14:00.

This training session provides a practical introduction to DestinE and the Data Lake Edge services as well as the HDA (Harmonised Data Access) service. It covers the end-to-end journey from navigating the platform to accessing and using Edge computing services. The session will cover how HDA provides unified data discovery, access, and retrieval mechanisms to support a wide variety of applications.

Participants will gain insights into the available services that enable the development of new DestinE applications and services at the edge of data. By the end of the training, attendees will:

• understand the core principles and benefits of Edge Services,
• learn how HDA provides harmonised data access across diverse sources,
• see how Edge and HDA services complement each other.

This training is suitable for all DestinE users, including non experts.

The workshop will take place on Thursday 24 September from 12:30 to 14:00.

With the focus on exploring ideas regarding potential career opportunities, the ECS lunchtime career dialogues is a session where invited senior professionals share experiences and advice from their careers. After a brief introduction of the experts, the participants break out into small groups with one expert each, where the questions and topics of interest of the participants can be discussed in an informal setting. To gather experiences from different career paths, the groups will rotate to enable discussions with different experts.

Participants will be approached to share their key questions and career directions of interest (academia, industry, etc.) prior to the event, to help the organisers and senior professionals tailor the event to the needs and interests of the early career participants.

The event will take place on Wednesday 23 September from 12:30 to 14:00.

As EUMETSAT celebrates its 40th anniversary, we're forecasting a high probability of fun! Drop by our lunch break pub quiz for a quick mental workout—expect trivia on satellites, weather, history, and a few surprises along the way. Come solo or form a team, and see if you can rise above the competition—no satellite dish required.

This will be a "free for all" fun quiz held in the plenary room on Wednesday 23 September from 12:30 to 13:30. No lunch will be provided but fun will be guaranteed.

Join us as we celebrate 40 years of innovation at EUMETSAT by reviewing our legacy, examining how our environment has changed, and looking forward to what the next 40 years might hold. Expect an evening filled with insights, interaction, as well as a bit of the unexpected.

The Innovation Café will take place at the TU Darmstadt starting at 19:00.

If you are interested, please register here.

The city of Darmstadt, host to EUMETSAT's Headquarters and city of science, will be providing tours to interested conference participants on Tuesday and Thursday as of 18:00. Participation is limited so if you are interested, please mark your interest on the conference registration form.

The tours will be as follows:

• Darmstadt city centre
• Matildenhöhe – centre of Darmstadt's Jugendstil (art nouveau) neighbourhood

Both tours will leave from the congress centre on Tuesday and Thursday at 18:00.