MTG-I2 satellite launch completes Europe's new weather constellation

Meteosat Third Generation MTG-I2 satellite weather forecasting Ariane 6 launch Earth observation

The European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully launched the MTG-I2 (Meteosat Third Generation Imager-2) satellite aboard an Ariane 6 rocket from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. This mission completes the first trio of the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) constellation, joining the MTG-I1 imager and the MTG-S1 sounder.

Operating from a geostationary orbit approximately 36,000 kilometers above the equator, the satellite is designed to significantly enhance meteorological monitoring and weather forecasting across Europe and North Africa. The MTG-I2 features two primary instruments: the Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) and the Lightning Imager (LI). The FCI will provide high-resolution observations of the atmosphere every 2.5 minutes, a significant increase in frequency compared to previous generations. This capability will support near-real-time tracking of rapidly evolving weather systems, such as severe storms, floods, and wildfires.

The Lightning Imager is capable of detecting and mapping individual lightning discharges during both day and night. Once the commissioning phase is complete, the full MTG constellation will provide a three-dimensional representation of atmospheric phenomena, often referred to as a ‘weather cube,’ integrating data on lightning, winds, cloud dynamics, and greenhouse gases.

Entities

Ariane 6 · EUMETSAT · European Space Agency · GMV · Kourou · OHB SE · Thales Alenia Space

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 17 SOURCES] The satellite will operate in a geostationary orbit approximately 36,000 kilometers above the equator. www.hisparob.es · www.eumetsat.int · satnews.com · arabic.euronews.com · de.euronews.com · +11 more
[● 16 SOURCES] The MTG-I2 mission completes the first trio of the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) constellation. www.hisparob.es · arabic.euronews.com · de.euronews.com · es.euronews.com · www.eumetsat.int · +10 more
[● 17 SOURCES] The MTG-I2 satellite was launched aboard an Ariane 6 rocket. www.hisparob.es · www.eumetsat.int · satnews.com · arabic.euronews.com · de.euronews.com · +11 more
[● 17 SOURCES] The launch took place from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. www.hisparob.es · www.eumetsat.int · satnews.com · arabic.euronews.com · de.euronews.com · +11 more
[● 17 SOURCES] The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched the MTG-I2 satellite. www.hisparob.es · www.eumetsat.int · satnews.com · arabic.euronews.com · de.euronews.com · +11 more
[● 15 SOURCES] The Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) can provide high-resolution observations of Europe every 2.5 minutes. www.hisparob.es · www.eumetsat.int · satnews.com · arabic.euronews.com · de.euronews.com · +9 more
[● 14 SOURCES] The Lightning Imager (LI) is capable of detecting and mapping individual lightning discharges day and night. www.hisparob.es · arabic.euronews.com · de.euronews.com · es.euronews.com · www.eumetsat.int · +8 more