IASI-NG

Launched into orbit in August 2025 aboard EUMETSAT’s European meteorological satellite Metop-SG A-1, the new atmospheric sounding instrument designed by CNES has just delivered its first data, confirming that it is operating perfectly.

This data, known as atmospheric spectra, enables the composition of the atmosphere to be determined at a given moment for a specific region—in this case Toulouse, where the instrument was assembled in the cleanrooms of Airbus Defence and Space.

Twice as powerful as its predecessor, IASI, which has been in service since 2006, this new instrument can measure more than 25 atmospheric constituents, including carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitric acid (HNO₃), methane (CH₄) and ozone (O₃). It thus ensures continuity of observations between the two missions, a necessity for climate research, which relies on long series of measurements. Its innovative optical configuration will give it twice the spectral resolution and instrumental signal of IASI, thereby further improving measurement accuracy (1 K for temperature and 10% for humidity).

More than just a continuation of the IASI instrument, IASI-NG is an asset for atmospheric sciences in the fields of numerical weather prediction, atmospheric composition studies and climate research, based on profound technical and technological innovation. It is a key component of the three future European meteorological satellites in the sé

The AERIS Atmospheric Data and Services Centre will make Level 2 data from the new IASI-NG instrument available to the scientific community. Data from the previous IASI instrument are available via the dedicated portal.