FCI

Flexible Combined Imager

Satellites

Meteosat Third Generation) – Unit “I” (for imagery)

Status

Being defined - To be utilised from 2015 onward

Mission

Multi-purpose VIS/IR imagery and wind derivation by tracking clouds and water vapour features

Instrument type

16-channel VIS/IR radiometer

Coverage/cycle

Nominal operations: two satellites, one for full disk in 10 min, the other one for 1/4 of disk (Europe) in 2.5 min.  When only one satellite is available: strategically alternating sectors (e.g., 3 consecutive 2.5-min European sectors, then rest of disk in 7.5 min

Resolution (s.s.p.)

Sampling distance (pixel): changing with operatine mode (see table). IFOV ~ 1.2 times the sampling distance

Resources

Mass: … kg - Power: … W - Data rate: … Mbps

Channel no.

Central wavelength

Bandwidth

Radiometric accuracy (SNR or NEΔT)

Pixel (full disk)

Pixel (1/4 of disk)

1

444 nm

60 nm

25 @ 1 % albedo

1.0 km

1.0 km

2

510 nm

50 nm

25 @ 1 % albedo

1.0 km

1.0 km

3

645 nm

80 nm

30 @ 1 % albedo

1.0 km

0.5 km

4

860 nm

70 nm

30 @ 1 % albedo

1.0 km

1.0 km

5

910 nm

60 nm

12 @ 1 % albedo

1.0 km

1.0 km

6

1375 nm

30 nm

40 @ 1 % albedo

1.0 km

1.0 km

7

1610 nm

60 nm

30 @ 1 % albedo

1.0 km

1.0 km

8

2260 nm

50 nm

25 @ 1 % albedo

1.0 km

0.5 km

9

3.80 µm

0.40 µm

0.1 K @ 300 K

2.0 km

1.0 km

10

6.30 µm

0.40 µm

0.3 K @ 250 K

2.0 km

2.0 km

11

7.35 µm

0.50 µm

0.3 K @ 250 K

2.0 km

2.0 km

12

8.70 µm

0.30 µm

0.1 K @ 300 K

2.0 km

2.0 km

13

9.66 µm

0.30 µm

0.3 K @ 250 K

2.0 km

2.0 km

14

10.50 µm

0.70 µm

0.1 K @ 300 K

2.0 km

1.0 km

15

12.30 µm

0.50 µm

0.1 K @ 300 K

2.0 km

2.0 km

16

13.30 µm

0.60 µm

0.2 K @ 270 K

2.0 km

2.0 km