EUMETSAT Assumes Control of Inaugural Metop Second Generation Satellite

DARMSTADT, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 18, 2025--

EUMETSAT’s Mission Control Centre has officially taken the reins of the Metop Second Generation A1 (Metop-SGA1) satellite, following the successful completion of the spacecraft’s launch and early operations phase (LEOP).

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Over three intense days, experts worked together to perform a series of complex steps and manoeuvres to guide the satellite into its low-Earth orbit – just over 800 kilometres above the Earth’s surface, an endeavour made possible through the dedicated collaboration of EUMETSAT, the European Space Agency (ESA), Telespazio Italy, Airbus Defence and Space, and other partners.

The successful completion of Metop-SGA1’s LEOP marks a major milestone in the deployment of the EUMETSAT Polar System – Second Generation (EPS-SG), Europe’s next-generation polar-orbiting weather satellite programme. EPS-SG will provide critical data for improving life-saving weather forecasts and a wide range of other critical services that benefit lives and livelihoods across EUMETSAT member states and beyond. It is expected to deliver a return on investment of at least 20:1 to the EU-27 economy.

Metop-SGA1 lifted off at 02:37 CEST on 13 August 2025 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on board an Ariane-62 rocket. It is the first satellite in the EPS-SG programme to be launched and carries a suite of cutting-edge instruments, including the European Union’s Copernicus Sentinel-5 mission.

The LEOP began when Metop-SGA1 separated from its launch vehicle, initiating a carefully planned and executed sequence of activities, including solar panel deployment, propulsion system activation, attitude stabilisation, and a series of orbital manoeuvres. The satellite is now drifting in tandem with its predecessor, Metop-C – a strategy designed to improve the accuracy, stability and continuity of Earth observation data provided by Metop series satellites.

“While the LEOP lasted just three intense days, successfully positioning Metop-SGA1 in orbit in the correct configuration on board is an achievement that reflects years of outstanding teamwork and dedication from engineers and managers at EUMETSAT, ESA, Airbus, and Telespazio,” said Valeria Bozzi, Metop LEOP Service Manager at EUMETSAT. “Now that EUMETSAT has taken control of Metop-SGA1, we move into the satellite’s commissioning phase – preparing it for full operations, where it will become one of the most important sources of data for numerical weather prediction. This will help improve life-saving forecasts and strengthen climate monitoring in Europe and around the world.”

For further updates on Metop-SGA1, visit EUMETSAT’s launch hub, which features news, interviews, and insights into the satellite’s journey.

Find all relevant information, biographies of speakers, videos and testimonials on our dedicated press page.

About EUMETSAT

EUMETSAT, Europe’s meteorological satellite agency, monitors the weather and climate from space. Based in Darmstadt, Germany, EUMETSAT provides its 30 member states with meteorological imagery and data that are essential for keeping their communities safe and for the benefit of critical sectors of their economies.

For more information: www.eumetsat.int.

Metop-SGA1 carries an array of cutting-edge instruments and the European Union’s Copernicus Sentinel-5 mission. Image: EUMETSAT

VIOLA PARK, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 16, 2026--

With great pain and sadness, the Commisso family, together with his wife Catherine, children Giuseppe and Marisa, and sisters Italia and Raffaelina, announce the passing of President Rocco B. Commisso.

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After a prolonged period of medical treatment, our beloved President has left us, and today we all mourn his passing. For his family, he was an example and a guiding light, a loyal and faithful man who, alongside his wife Catherine, reached the milestone of 50 years of marriage, and who was a strict yet loving father to his children, just as his character was: gentle and determined.

His love for Fiorentina was the greatest gift he gave himself, spending unforgettable days with the boys and girls of the youth teams, always offering a caring gesture and a smile to everyone. Tireless, he worked until his final days, dedicating himself to his companies, Mediacom and Fiorentina, and to their future.

Football was his passion, and Fiorentina became so seven years ago, when Rocco took charge of the Viola club and began to love its supporters, its colors, and the city of Florence. “Call me Rocco,” he had simply said to everyone, with his extraordinary empathy. He was always close to Florence and the Florentines, in everyday life and also during the most difficult period of the Covid emergency, when the “Forza e Cuore” campaign provided substantial donations to the city’s hospitals.

The Rocco B. Commisso Viola Park, the home of Fiorentina, will live forever bearing his name—an indelible symbol of his affection and his desire to look toward the future of young people. The boys and girls who grew up under his guidance in the youth academy, have won trophies and continue their journey with Fiorentina’s men’s and women’s first teams. Under his leadership, Fiorentina reached two UEFA Conference League finals and one Coppa Italia final.

The Commisso family wishes to thank all those who stood by him during these delicate moments and is certain that the memory of Rocco will remain forever in the hearts of the many people who loved him and who shared both difficult and beautiful moments with him.

A heartfelt thought in this moment of great sadness goes to everyone at Fiorentina—staff, players, and employees—to all those who knew Rocco, to the entire Viola community, and above all to all the boys and girls who will continue to carry the Viola colors and the memory of our Rocco throughout Italy and the world.

We miss you and we will miss you always.

Rocco B. Commisso