EUMETSAT celebrates 30th Anniversary

FRIDAY, 24 JUNE 2016 - Although EUMETSAT was 30 years old on 19 June, the official commemorating ceremony will take place at EUMETSAT Headquarters in Darmstadt on 27 June, and will be followed by a celebratory dinner at the Orangerie of Darmstadt, the place which hosted the first EUMETSAT Council meeting organised in Darmstadt in 1986.

"These three decades have seen EUMETSAT evolving into a world-leading operational space agency"

Alain Ratier, EUMETSAT’s Director-General said: “These three decades have seen EUMETSAT evolving into a world-leading operational space agency serving the interests of its Member States and Europe at large, through an increasing portfolio of environmental satellite programmes covering geostationary and Low Earth orbits, including Sentinel missions exploited on behalf of the EU.

This success is shared with the European Space Agency and other international partners from Europe and around the world and is also owed to the support of Germany, our host country.

This success was achieved by a whole generation of European leaders, engineers, scientists and administrative staff.

The attendance of representatives of WMO, Africa, and satellite operators from around the world shows EUMETSAT truly is a trusted global partner.

The organisation will evolve further in the coming decades, and will start to exploit a new generation of innovative satellite systems in the early 2020s.”

A series of activities are organised in close cooperation with the city of Darmstadt, including two Open Days to take place at EUMETSAT Headquarters on Friday, 15 and Saturday, 16 July.

The Open Days are supported by the ‘Deutscher Wetterdienst’ (DWD) and will be opened by the Lord Mayor of Darmstadt.

Anniversary celebrations will conclude in September, during the Annual Meteorological Satellite Conference, which will take place in the ‘Darmstadtium’ conference centre from 26 to 30 September.

Leading scientists will deliver keynote speeches illustrating how observations by meteorological satellites have supported the development not only of meteorological but also climate and oceanographic applications over the years.

Image: EUMETSAT HQ