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POEM

The November, 1992, ESA ministerial meeting (Reference 518) reaffirmed the organization's intention to follow the ERS program with the ambitious Polar-Orbiting Earth Observation Mission (POEM), which was separated into two distinct projects: Envisat-1 and Metop1. The former, based on an 8-metric-ton Polar Platform bus, will be launched in 1998-1999 into an 800-km altitude, sun-synchronous orbit to understand and to monitor better the Earth's environment and to continue the SAR surveys of the ERS spacecraft. France and the UK will each fund about one-fourth of the Envisat mission with other ESA members pooling resources for the remaining half.

With a spacecraft bus measuring 2.75 m in diameter and 11 m long, Envisat-1 will carry a useful payload of about 2,000 kg, including five ESA-funded instruments: an advanced synthetic aperture radar, an advanced radar altimeter, a medium resolution imaging spectrometer,a Michelson interferometer for passive atmospheric sounding, and a global ozone monitor. National sensors expected to be carried by Envisat-2 include a French radiometer (SCARAB), a German imaging spectrometer (SCIAMACHY), and a British-Australian radiometer (AATSR). A microwave sounder, similar to the ones developed for ERS, will also be installed. The spacecraft's orbit will be essentially the same as used in the ERS program, and the 6.6 kW electrical system will provide nearly 2 kW to the instrument suite (References 499, 519-526).

The second component of the POEM program, Metop-1, will be launched in the year 2000 and will provide ESA and EUMETSAT with their first low altitude, polar meteorological satellite. The Metop design completed Phase A definition in 1994 and was to rely on the basic Polar Platform bus being developed for Envisat 1. However, a substantially smaller Metop-1, perhaps in the 2,500-kg class, is now likely, The Phase B contract award was anticipated in the first half of 1995. While payload definition for Metop-1 is still underway, the instrument suite will contain a large variety of visible, IR, and microwave radiometers, ozone monitors, and probably an advanced wind scatterometer. A plan to merge Metop operations with US NOAA spacecraft encountered new obstacles in late 1994 when the US considered integrating the civilian NOAA and military DMSP programs. European officials were concerned about US Department of Defense control over Metop-1 and hoped to resolve the difficulties during 1995 (References 499, 527-532).