MTG-I2 satellite launches on Ariane 6, completing Europe's new weather constellation
The launch of MTG-I2 from French Guiana completes the first trio of Meteosat Third Generation satellites, delivering high-resolution data every 2.5 minutes to improve weather forecasting and early warnings of extreme events.
Published on 28/08/2026 - 4:47 GMT+2
The European Space Agency (ESA) has reached a historic milestone in Earth observation and meteorological science, in the midst of the climate crisis and growing weather-related disasters. The MTG-I2 ("Meteosat Third Generation Imager-2") satellite has been successfully launched aboard an Ariane 6 rocket from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
With this mission, ESA completes the first trio in the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) constellation. MTG-I2, which was successfully launched on 27 July, is the second imaging satellite in this fleet and joins the first Imager (launched in 2022) and the Sounder (launched in 2025). Once its commissioning phase is complete, the constellation will begin operating at full capacity.
A revolution in forecasting extreme weather events
Located 36,000 kilometres above the Earth in geostationary orbit, MTG-I2 will maintain a fixed position, allowing it to act as a "hawk's eye" over the planet’s surface. Its main instrument, the Flexible Combined Imager, will provide a rapid scanning service over Europe, delivering high-resolution observations every 2.5 minutes.
This very high refresh rate represents a paradigm shift for immediate weather prediction, improving forecasts and proving vital for the monitoring of disasters such as floods and wildfires. The technology will make it possible to track atmospheric fronts in real time, anticipate the formation of severe storms or DANA and improve the monitoring of fires and air pollution across Europe, with a particular focus on the Mediterranean and North Africa.
The satellite also carries the Lightning Imager, a sensor capable of detecting and mapping individual lightning discharges both day and night. Integrating these satellites will make it possible to create a "weather cube", a three-dimensional representation of lightning, winds, cloud dynamics and greenhouse gases.
A milestone for the Ariane 6 rocket and the next operational steps
The launch marked the ninth mission for Ariane 6 and the first flight in which Europe’s heavy-lift launcher has carried a satellite to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). To reach the furthest distance achieved by this rocket to date, the configuration with two P120C solid-fuel boosters was used.
After satellite separation, successful contact was established with the spacecraft. Ground teams are now coordinating the deployment of the solar panels and the gradual activation of its propulsion system to raise the perigee and adjust its trajectory towards its final geostationary orbit. Once it has been reoriented towards Earth, the initial operations phase (LEOP) will end and scientific calibration will begin.
Industrial cooperation and the future of the programme
The development of the MTG family has been led by ESA together with a European industrial consortium headed by Thales Alenia Space, with support from OHB System and Leonardo. Once the calibration phase has been completed, responsibility for operating the satellites and distributing data to the international scientific community will pass to Eumetsat.
This fleet guarantees continuity of the observations begun with the Meteosat Second Generation series (operational between 2002 and 2015). From 2033, a second series of MTG satellites is expected to be launched in stages, ensuring continuity of the service beyond 2040.
