Media representatives are invited to express their interest in attending the media programme for the launch of the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) Imager weather satellite, MTG-I2, at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.
MTG-I2 will be launched on board an Ariane 6 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana no earlier than the last week of August, to be placed in geostationary orbit, a first for an Ariane 6.
MTG-I2 is the third satellite to join the MTG constellation for Eumetsat - the first MTG-Imager and the MTG-Sounder are already in orbit. The mission is designed to produce data and images for weather forecasting and climate monitoring in Europe and North Africa with unprecedented detail. This means a significant increase in quality, quantity and frequency of data, enabling forecasters to access new data products and services. The data enable the nowcasting of severe weather events and improved numerical weather prediction.
The MTG-Imager satellites will work in tandem and both carry two instruments: a Lightning Imager and a Flexible Combined Imager. The Lightning Imagers offer new capabilities for European meteorological satellites by continuously monitoring for lightning. By doing this from geostationary orbit, which is at an altitude of about 36 000 km above the equator, they can scan more than 80% of Earth's surface seen from that viewpoint.
The Flexible Combined Imagers, on the other hand, build a picture of fast-evolving weather systems and can be used to issue timely weather warnings. They are particularly relevant for air traffic safety and can scan Earth's surface as seen from orbit in just 10 minutes and the whole of Europe every 2.5 minutes.
The MTG constellation is expected to produce at least 50 times more data than the previous Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellites when fully operational.
The ninth flight of Europe's heavy-lift rocket Ariane 6 will use two P120C-based solid-propellant rocket motors to liftoff and launch MTG-I2 to a geostationary orbit. This will be the first mission to this destination for Ariane 6 and the farthest the rocket will have flown so far.
ESA manages the Ariane 6 development programme, ensuring autonomous access to space for the benefit of European citizens, with Arianegroup as prime industrial contractor. Arianespace is the launch service provider for this flight, VA270.
This call for interest only relates to activities taking place on site at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. This will ensure that media accreditation is completed in time and to establish a reserve list in the event of cancellations. More details on the media programme in French Guiana will be shared in due course.
Registration
Journalists wishing to participate in the media programme at Europe's Spaceport are asked to submit their application via ESA's media accreditation page as soon as possible and no later than 17:00 CEST on Thursday 16 July 2026.
Please note:
- ESA will recommend flight dates and accommodation options to confirmed participants to facilitate the trip;
- because the number of places is limited, ESA cannot guarantee all interested media will be able to join this visit. For this reason, the Agency will also establish a reserve list for the event in case of cancellations.
- accreditation formalities to access Europe's Spaceport will have to be completed immediately after confirmation of participation;
- yellow fever vaccination is compulsory to enter French Guiana (this will be checked at the airport).
Additional information
Arrival in French Guiana is planned the day before launch and return the day after.
This two-day programme will allow journalists to conduct interviews with the teams responsible for the launch (including those working on Ariane 6, launch operations and the MTG-I2 satellite).
Journalists are advised to plan for a potential postponement of the launch of 24 hours and to book flexible flights.
Journalists will be able to report live from Kourou. More details on the date and time of the launch will be provided at a later stage.
