Eumetsat

What Eumetsat does

EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) is an intergovernmental organisation founded on 19 June 1986 and headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany. It operates a fleet of European meteorological Earth observation satellites on behalf of 30 member and cooperating states (primarily European countries plus Türkiye and the United Kingdom), funded through mandatory and optional GDP-weighted national contributions. Its core technology portfolio includes the geostationary Meteosat series — currently being renewed through the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) constellation with its Flexible Combined Imager, Lightning Imager, and Infrared Sounder instruments producing at least 50x more data than the previous generation — alongside the polar-orbiting Metop series (and forthcoming Metop-SG), the Jason/Sentinel-6 ocean altimetry missions, the EPS Aeolus wind profiling mission, and the approved 20-satellite EPS-Sterna constellation. EUMETSAT also operates the Sentinel-3, -4, -5, and -6 satellites on behalf of the EU Copernicus programme.

The organisation's primary customers are national meteorological services of its member states, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS), and international partners including NOAA, NASA, and CNES. Data and products are distributed through the EUMETSAT User Portal, EUMETCast/GEONETCast broadcast, EUMETView real-time imagery viewer, and jointly with ECMWF via the European Weather Cloud; EUMETSAT also contributes the data infrastructure layer to the European Commission's Destination Earth (DestinE) digital twin initiative. Specialist processing is performed via a network of Satellite Application Facilities (SAFs), including the OSI SAF which maintains 45+ years of ocean and sea ice data records.

Commercially, EUMETSAT does not sell data to end users in the traditional sense — its "revenue" is comprised of mandatory member state contributions and delegated EU funding (Copernicus, DestinE), supplemented by targeted procurement contracts such as the €3M Spire Global radio occultation contract. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The business model is therefore that of a treaty-funded operational agency with multi-decade programme cycles, scaling through new satellite launches (MTG-I2 in 2026, EPS-Sterna in 2029), expanded Copernicus and DestinE mandates, and bilateral cooperation with space agencies worldwide.

Name

Eumetsat

Legal name

European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites

Website

https://eumetsat.int

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

EUMETSAT is a 30-member-state intergovernmental satellite agency, headquartered in Darmstadt, that operates European geostationary (Meteosat/MTG) and polar-orbiting (Metop, Sentinel, Jason) meteorological satellites, delivering weather, climate, ocean, and atmospheric data to national meteorological services, ECMWF, Copernicus, and global WMO partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Satellite Earth Observation and Meteorological Data Services

NAICS

Satellite Telecommunications (5174), Space Research and Technology (92711)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHDAIAJAI

Satellite Network Operations & Capacity Services (NOC, Capacity Leasing, Managed Payload Services)

Hardware, Technology & Telecom/Telecommunications & Network Services/Satellite & Non-Terrestrial Network Services (GEO/MEO/LEO)

SECONDARYBPAMANAM

Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms

Business & Public Services/Web, Mobile & Digital Platforms/Maps, Location & Navigation Platforms

SECONDARYHDAIAEAJ

Satellite Wholesale Capacity & Backhaul (transponder/HTS capacity, teleport services)

Hardware, Technology & Telecom/Telecommunications & Network Services/Wholesale & Carrier Services (Backhaul, Transit, Roaming)

Keywords

• Satellite meteorology
• Weather observation
• Climate monitoring
• Earth observation data
• Meteorical data services

Headquarters

HQ city

Darmstadt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Satellite Data Services to Member States: EUMETSAT provides satellite data, products, and services to national meteorological services of its member states. The organisation is funded by contributions from its 30 member and cooperating states (primarily European countries) based on national GDP-weighted scales.
2. Third Party Data Distribution: EUMETSAT processes and distributes satellite weather data from third-party providers including Spire Global (radio occultation data), distributing it to national weather agencies across Europe and the broader WMO community.
3. Copernicus Programme Contributions: EUMETSAT operates Sentinel satellites (Sentinel-3, 4, 5, 6) as part of the EU Copernicus Earth observation programme, providing data for marine, atmospheric, and climate monitoring services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EUMETSAT operates a fleet of European meteorological satellites (Meteosat, Metop, Sentinel/Jason series) from its Darmstadt, Germany control centre and distributes satellite-derived weather, climate, and environmental data products to its Member States, cooperating states, and the global WMO community. It also contributes to the EU Copernicus programme and Destination Earth (DestinE) initiative by providing satellite data infrastructure and the European Weather Cloud computing environment.

Product overview

EUMETSAT operates a comprehensive satellite Earth observation system comprising geostationary satellites (Meteosat series including the new Meteosat Third Generation with Flexible Combined Imager and Lightning Imager) and polar-orbiting satellites (Metop series and Metop-Second Generation). The organization contributes to the European Union's Copernicus programme through Sentinel missions (Sentinel-3, -4, -5, -6) for ocean, atmospheric, and land monitoring. Additional missions include the Jason series for ocean altimetry, EPS Aeolus for wind profiling, and the upcoming EPS-Sterna constellation. Data access is provided through the User Portal, EUMETView viewer, European Weather Cloud, and Destination Earth platforms, supported by a network of Satellite Application Facilities (SAFs) that process and distribute specialized environmental products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) satellite system

Quantifiable outcome

• MTG constellation produces at least 50 times more data than previous Meteosat Second Generation satellites
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability11 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OHB SwedencoreTechnology or Integration · 20 March 2026OHB Sweden secured €248 million contract to build 20 satellites for the EPS-Sterna programme, aimed at enhancing Europe's weather forecasting and climate monitoring capabilities. EUMETSAT oversees the programme with ESA managing development.
• DLR (German Aerospace Center)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025EUMETSAT Council approved new cooperation agreement with DLR to enhance Earth observation data exchange and scientific collaboration.
• NCEO (National Centre for Earth Observation)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025EUMETSAT renewed cooperation agreement with NCEO to enhance Earth observation data exchange and scientific collaboration in climate monitoring.
• NSOAS (National Satellite Ocean Application Service)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025EUMETSAT renewed cooperation agreement with NSOAS (China) to enhance Earth observation data exchange and scientific collaboration.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 November 2025NASA and EUMETSAT partner on the Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission for sea level monitoring. Sentinel-6B was launched in November 2025 as a joint NASA-ESA-EUMETSAT-NOAA mission. The partnership continues a multi-decade record of ocean altimetry measurements.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESA and EUMETSAT collaborate extensively on satellite development and launch. ESA develops satellites on behalf of EUMETSAT, including the Meteosat Third Generation system. The two organisations jointly operate satellite missions and share infrastructure. They also cooperate on the EPS-Sterna programme and various Sentinel missions.
• European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECMWF uses EUMETSAT satellite data as primary input for numerical weather prediction and climate reanalysis. The organisations jointly operate the European Weather Cloud platform and collaborate on the Destination Earth (DestinE) initiative. ECMWF Director-General Dr. Florence Rabier has overseen integration of satellite data into forecasting systems.
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOAA partners with EUMETSAT on ocean monitoring missions including Sentinel-6 and Jason series satellites. NOAA processes and distributes altimetry data alongside EUMETSAT and CNES for global sea level measurements.
• CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNES, France's space agency, partners with EUMETSAT on Jason satellite series and Sentinel-6 missions for ocean altimetry. CNES processes altimetry data alongside EUMETSAT and NOAA.
• United States Naval Research LaboratoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEUMETSAT scientists collaborated with the United States Naval Research Laboratory on a case study explaining how satellite instruments detect and monitor wildfires across Europe.
• Spain's State Meteorological Agency (AEMET)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEUMETSAT collaborated with Spain's State Meteorological Agency on a case study for wildfire detection and monitoring using satellite imagery.
• European Union Copernicus ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEUMETSAT operates Sentinel-3, Sentinel-4, Sentinel-5, and Sentinel-6 missions as part of the EU Copernicus Earth observation programme. These satellites monitor ocean, atmosphere, and climate for European services including CMEMS and C3S.
• European Commission - Destination EarthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEUMETSAT continues as key contributor to the European Commission's Destination Earth initiative, developing and operating the DestinE Data Lake in Phase Three. The Data Lake provides infrastructure supporting environmental data access and digital twin technology.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Maxar Technologies: Commercial operator of high-resolution Earth-observation satellites (WorldView, Legion) supplying imagery and analytics to governments and commercial customers. Comparable as a commercial EO satellite operator, though focused on high-resolution optical imagery rather than meteorological observations.
• Spire Global: Commercial operator of a nanosatellite constellation providing radio occultation and GNSS-R data. Already an actual supplier to EUMETSAT (€3M contract for radio occultation data), making it a commercial peer supplying input data into EUMETSAT's distribution network.
• Planet Labs PBC: Commercial operator of the world's largest Earth-observation satellite constellation, providing daily high-resolution imagery. Not a direct meteorological peer, but a growing competitor/complement in the broader Earth-observation data market that increasingly overlaps with EUMETSAT's downstream applications.

Direct peers

• China Meteorological Administration (CMA): China's national meteorological and satellite agency operating the Fengyun (FY) geostationary and polar-orbiting satellite series. Direct global peer in delivering meteorological and climate satellite data through the WMO framework.
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO): India's national space agency operating the INSAT geostationary and polar-orbiting meteorological satellites. Directly comparable in role and mandate to EUMETSAT for civil Earth-observation and weather data services.
• Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA): Japan's national meteorological agency operating the Himawari geostationary satellite series. Comparable to EUMETSAT in operating a sovereign weather satellite system that feeds national forecasting and the WMO global data exchange.
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration): U.S. operational meteorological and Earth-observation satellite agency operating the GOES geostationary and JPSS polar-orbiting constellations. Most direct global counterpart to EUMETSAT; both are civil government satellite operators distributing weather, climate, and ocean data to national services and the WMO community.

Broad incumbents

• European Space Agency (ESA): ESA develops satellites on EUMETSAT's behalf (MTG, Metop, EPS-Sterna) and is EUMETSAT's primary institutional partner. Not a direct competitor — ESA is the development counterpart to EUMETSAT's operator role, making it an incumbent collaborator rather than a peer offering the same service.
• European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF): ECMWF is EUMETSAT's primary downstream consumer — it ingests EUMETSAT satellite data as the principal input for ERA5 reanalysis and numerical weather prediction, and co-operates the European Weather Cloud. ECMWF is a peer in the broader European weather-data value chain, though it is a forecast model provider, not a satellite operator.

Regional players

• Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA): South Korea's national meteorological agency operating the GEO-KOMPSAT-2 (GK2) geostationary satellite. Comparable in function (national meteorological satellite operator) but operating in a different regional sphere from EUMETSAT's Europe/Africa/Indian Ocean focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eumetsat
• YouTubeyoutube.com/eumetsat1
• Facebookfacebook.com/eumetsat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eumetsat
• Instagraminstagram.com/eumetsatmedia

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Eumetsat