BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AFP) - The most complex Earth observation satellite ever to be placed into orbit is to be launched next week as part of a 15-year European program to improve the accuracy of weather forecasting and our understanding of climate change.


The first of three huge polar-orbiting MetOp (Meteorological Operational) satellites is to be fired into space on Monday from Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

MetOp-A, weighing more than four tonnes, is the most complex satellite of its kind, boasting around a dozen instruments for measuring weather patterns and transmitting back data.

It will be the first of three MetOp satellites to be launched roughly five years apart over the coming years at a cost of 2.4 billion euros (3 billion dollars). Of that total 1.8 billion will come from EUMETSAT, the organization that operates Europe's system of meteorological satellites. Most of the remainder will be provided by the European Space Agency.

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