EUMETSAT

The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) is an <a href="/facts/Intergovernmental_organisation/5ELbyRm6">intergovernmental organisation</a> created through an <a href="/facts/International_convention/WJEPeq44">international convention</a> agreed by a current total of 30 European Member States.
EUMETSAT's primary objective is to establish, maintain and exploit European systems of operational <a href="/facts/Meteorological/xblFr28q">meteorological</a> <a href="/facts/Satellite/PTX8c68t">satellites</a>. EUMETSAT is responsible for the launch and operation of the <a href="/facts/Satellite/PTX8c68t">satellites</a> and for delivering satellite data to end-users as well as contributing to the operational monitoring of <a href="/facts/Climate/f57XrNFU">climate</a> and the detection of <a href="/facts/Global_climate_change/rEN4BDE7">global climate changes</a>.
The activities of EUMETSAT contribute to a global <a href="/facts/Meteorological_satellite/yl7QCK8n">meteorological satellite</a> observing system coordinated with other space-faring states.
Satellite observations are an essential input to numerical <a href="/facts/Weather_prediction/nzqyMFCa">weather prediction</a> systems and also assist the human forecaster in the diagnosis of potentially hazardous weather developments. Of growing importance is the capacity of weather satellites to gather long-term measurements from space in support of climate change studies.
EUMETSAT is not an institution or agency of the <a href="/facts/European_Union/6GYcR8qM">European Union</a>, although the majority of its members are <a href="/facts/Member_state_of_the_European_Union/hsFC1pJH">EU member states</a>. The organisation became a signatory to the <a href="/facts/International_Charter_on_Space_and_Major_Disasters/uNGlcbHo">International Charter on Space and Major Disasters</a> in 2012, thus providing for the global charitable use of its space assets.

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EUMETSAT