The second Meteosat Third Generation Imager satellite (MTG-I2) has been launched on board Ariane 6, flight VA270, from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. It will complete the first family of MTG satellites, delivering data for weather forecasting over Europe and northern Africa with unprecedented quality, quantity and frequency.
The launch took place on Thursday, 27 August, at 22:11 CEST (17:11 local time).
The MTG mission brings numerous benefits and improvements to weather forecasting and monitoring the atmosphere and climate over Europe and Africa.
It will track developing weather fronts as they happen and provide high-resolution images of the atmosphere over Europe and northern Africa every 2.5 minutes.
This data will support the reliability of early warnings as well as the tracking of wildfires and atmospheric pollution. It will substantially improve weather forecasting for all European countries.
ESA's Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, said, "My congratulations go to all the teams involved who have ensured the successful development of this mission. MTG-I2 brings advanced satellite technology that will improve climate monitoring and weather forecasts over Europe, offering real benefits to citizens and communities across our continent. I'd like to extend my gratitude to the European partners and industry who achieved this success through hard work, outstanding expertise and collaboration."
James Champion, ESA's MTG Project Manager, said, "After years of development and the past few months of intense launch preparations, it's fantastic to see MTG-I2 being launched and on its way to take its place in the three-satellite system. Our team's work is not over yet - we still have engineers and personnel in operations and ground systems who will be ensuring the spacecraft remains on track over the coming weeks and months. But for now, we are all elated that the launch has gone well and we look forward to the coming two weeks or so of orbit-raising manoeuvres during the launch and early operations phase, and then afterwards when the commissioning will begin."
About Meteosat Third Generation
The MTG family now has three satellites in orbit - the first two have been fully commissioned and handed over to Eumetsat for operational service. Since MTG-I2 is the second imaging satellite to join the MTG constellation, it will provide continuity and operational resilience for the mission. The first MTG-Imager satellite was launched in 2022, followed by the MTG-Sounder, launched last year. MTG-I2 completes the three-satellite system and, once it has been commissioned, will enable the mission to begin operating at full capacity.
From 2033, the second 'family' of MTG satellites will be launched in sequence to extend the mission's duration beyond 2040. The MTG satellites continue the services previously provided by the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellites, which were placed in orbit between 2002 and 2015.
Imaging from geostationary orbit
MTG-I2 - just like its counterpart, the MTG-I1 - carries two powerful imaging instruments. The satellite will be placed in geostationary orbit, sometimes compared to a 'hawk's eye' position because the satellites follow the same point on Earth's surface as it rotates, observing detail from a great distance of 36 000 km.
One of the instruments on board the MTG-Imager satellites is the Flexible Combined Imager, which can be operated in different scanning modes. For MTG-I2, it will provide the rapid scanning service over Europe, delivering new observations every 2.5 minutes. Operating MTG-I2 with this fast repeat cycle is a game-changer for weather forecasting, enabling meteorologists to monitor the rapid development and evolution of weather systems in unprecedented detail. In addition to providing a major increase in the quality, quantity and frequency of observations available for European weather forecasting, the instrument also provides valuable data for monitoring and understanding our climate.
The other instrument on board MTG-I2 is the Lightning Imager. This too, is an innovative and powerful instrument, able to capture individual lightning events, by day and night. When it was launched on the first MTG-Imager in 2022, it was the first of its kind in Europe. The Lightning Imager carried on MTG-I2 provides exactly the same capabilities and can be used for very accurate, short-term forecasting of rapidly evolving weather conditions, sometimes referred to as 'nowcasting'.
Another innovative product that will be further enhanced once all three of the MTG satellites are in orbit is the weather cube, which will combine data from both the Imager and Sounder satellites to create three-dimensional representations of lightning, winds, internal clouds dynamics and other atmospheric gases, including greenhouse gases and air pollutants.
Weather forecasters, climate scientists and researchers benefit from the advanced data and images provided by the Meteosat series of satellites and MTG is designed to extend that legacy. The constellation also provides key information and imagery for monitoring hydrology, agriculture, environmental studies as well as risk prevention and disaster warnings.
First step of a long journey
This was the ninth launch of Europe's heavy-lift rocket, Ariane 6, and the first to take a satellite to geostationary transfer orbit. Ariane 6 was configured with two P120C-based solid-propellant rocket motors propelling it to the farthest the rocket has flown so far.
Following launch, the MTG-I2 satellite separated from its Ariane 6 launcher and communication was immediately established between the spacecraft and the Malindi ground station.
The next steps for the satellite include starting its propulsion system and deploying its solar arrays, to ensure that the spacecraft can generate and store the energy needed for the next stages of the mission. When the satellite is safely powered, the team will activate the attitude control system, then begin preparations for a series of critical orbital manoeuvres. This will involve using MTG-I2's propulsion system to progressively raise the spacecraft's perigee and adjust its trajectory as it begins its journey towards geostationary orbit. Once in its final orbit, the satellite will be rotated so that it points towards Earth. This milestone will mark the completion of the launch and early operations phase and the transition towards commissioning.
Partnerships for space
All three of the MTG satellites have been developed by ESA and built by a large consortium of European industries led by Thales Alenia Space with main partners OHB System in Germany and Leonardo in Italy. Eumetsat operates the satellites after commissioning is complete and disseminates the scientific data.
ESA manages the Ariane 6 development programme, ensuring autonomous access to space for the benefit of European citizens. Arianespace was the launch service provider for flight VA270.
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