Organization:MTG-I2

From HandWiki
MTG-I2
NamesMeteosat-14
Mission typeMeteorology
OperatorEUMETSAT
WebsiteMTG (EUMETSAT)
Mission duration1 month, 26 days (elapsed)
Start of mission
Launch date27 August 2026, 20:11 UTC
RocketAriane 62
ContractorArianespace
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeGeosynchronous
← MTG-S1/Sentinel-4A
 

MTG-I2, also known as Meteosat-14, is a European geostationary satellite, part of the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) system of weather satellites developed by EUMETSAT in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA).[1][2][3][4][5] It is the second of four imaging satellites of MTG, completing its first trio together with MTG-I1 and MTG-S1/Sentinel-4A.[6] It will provide high resolution imagery over Europe every 2.5 minutes from a position at 9.5 degrees East—in line with Germany and Sardinia.[7][8][9] It was launched in August 2026 on Ariane 62.[10][11][12][13][14][15]

Instruments

Flexible Combined Imager

The Flexible Combined Imager (FCI), a continuation of the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) instruments on Meteosat Second Generation satellites, is designed to provide near-real-time monitoring of Earth's atmosphere by scanning the full Earth disc every 10 minutes and its upper quarter, containing Europe, every 2.5 minutes in 16 visible and infrared channels. It observes at wavelengths between 0.3 and 13.3 μm, and has a spatial resolution of 1 to 2 km.[16][17]

Lightning Imager

The Lightning Imager (LI) continuously detects the light pulses produced by different types of lightning: cloud-to-cloud, cloud-to-ground, and intra-cloud. It contains four cameras, capable of capturing 1,000 images per second, observing Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and partially also South America – in total covering 84% of the Earth disc. The instrument observes in a narrow spectral band centred on 777 nm and has a spatial resolution of around 10 km.[17][18]

History

MTG-I2 launch observed by GOES-19

In September 2025, MTG-I2's two instruments, FCI and LI, were mounted on the satellite platform at Thales Alenia Space in Cannes. The completed spacecraft then underwent a thermal vacuum test.[19] In March 2026, the satellite completed its last environmental tests, followed by a series of health checks.[20] In April 2026, the satellite, together with FLEX and Sentinel-3C, was on show at a media event hosted by Thales Alenia Space in Cannes.[21] MTG-I2 was then transported to Guiana Space Centre and on 6 July 2026, it was taken out of its protective casing at the spaceport.[9] The satellite was launched by Ariane 62 on 27 August 2026 at 20:11 UTC from Guiana Space Centre.[22][23] This was Ariane 6's first mission to geostationary orbit.[24][25] After separation, the satellite was healthy and transmitting signals.[26][6]

References

  1. ↑ "Les satellites météorologiques futurs" (in fr). https://e-cours.univ-paris1.fr/modules/uved/envcal/html/msg/1-1-systeme-mondial/1-1-2-futurs.html. 
  2. ↑ "MTG-I2 (imaging) Satellite Mission Summary | CEOS Database". https://database.eohandbook.com/database/missionsummary.aspx?missionID=587. 
  3. ↑ Wall, Mike (2026-08-27). "Watch powerful Ariane 6 rocket launch European weather satellite to orbit today" (in en). https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/ariane-6-rocket-launch-mtg-i2-weather-satellite. 
  4. ↑ "Second Meteosat Third Generation Imager Passes Key Thermal Testing". 2025-09-08. https://www.aerospace-and-defence.com/second-meteosat-third-generation-imager-passes-key-thermal-testing-a-4b9a924d0ae14e4457c68510ccdd4cd0/. 
  5. ↑ "MTG-I2" (in en-GB). https://webapps.itc.utwente.nl/sensor/getsat.aspx?name=MTG-I2. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "MTG-I2 satellite launches on Ariane 6, completing Europe's new weather satellite constellation" (in en). 2026-08-28. https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/08/28/mtg-i2-satellite-launches-on-ariane-6-completing-europes-new-weather-satellite-constellati. 
  7. ↑ "Meteosat Third Generation: A big step forward in Satellite Meteorology". https://www.met.ie/meteosat-third-generation-a-big-step-forward-in-satellite-meteorology. 
  8. ↑ "L'Europe lance sa nouvelle génération de satellites météo, pour de meilleures prévisions" (in fr). 2023-01-02. https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/societe/meteo-un-nouveau-satellite-pour-de-meilleures-previsions-3432651. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Unpacking Europe’s new weather imagers" (in en). https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Meteorological_missions/meteosat_third_generation/Unpacking_Europe_s_new_weather_imagers. 
  10. ↑ https://aviationweek.com/space/satellites/europe-forecasts-better-climate-science-upgrades
  11. ↑ "WMO OSCAR | Satellite: MTG-I2". https://space.oscar.wmo.int/satellites/view/mtg_i2. 
  12. ↑ "Meteosat third generation Imager 2 to be launched by Arianespace on Ariane 62 rocket" (in en). 2025-09-03. https://www.satelliteevolution.com/post/meteosat-third-generation-imager-2-to-be-launched-by-arianespace-on-ariane-62-rocket. 
  13. ↑ "Second MTG-Imager satellite passes thermal vacuum test". 2025-09-04. https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Meteorological_missions/meteosat_third_generation/Second_MTG-Imager_satellite_passes_thermal_vacuum_test. 
  14. ↑ "Arianespace vise 7 à 8 vols Ariane 6 en 2026" (in fr). 2026-01-14. https://air-cosmos.com/article/arianespace-vise-7-a-8-vols-ariane-6-en-2026-70896. 
  15. ↑ Faleti, Joshua (2026-07-28). "Arianespace to Launch 'MTG-I2' Weather Satellite Aboard Ariane 6's First Geostationary Mission Next Month" (in en-US). https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/arianespace-to-launch-mtg-i2-weather-satellite-aboard-ariane-6s-first-geostationary-mission-next-month/. 
  16. ↑ "Flexible Combined Imager" (in en). https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Meteorological_missions/meteosat_third_generation/Flexible_Combined_Imager. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Meteosat Third Generation Instruments | EUMETSAT" (in en). 2022-11-16. http://www.eumetsat.int/meteosat-third-generation-instruments. 
  18. ↑ "Lightning Imager" (in en). https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Meteorological_missions/meteosat_third_generation/Lightning_Imager. 
  19. ↑ "Second MTG-Imager satellite passes thermal vacuum test" (in en). https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Meteorological_missions/meteosat_third_generation/Second_MTG-Imager_satellite_passes_thermal_vacuum_test. 
  20. ↑ "Next MTG satellite passes final environmental tests" (in en). https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Meteorological_missions/meteosat_third_generation/Next_MTG_satellite_passes_final_environmental_tests. 
  21. ↑ "Three ESA-built satellites on show in France" (in en). https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Three_ESA-built_satellites_on_show_in_France. 
  22. ↑ Wall, Mike (2026-08-27). "Powerful Ariane 6 rocket launches European weather satellite to orbit (video)" (in en). https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/ariane-6-rocket-launch-mtg-i2-weather-satellite. 
  23. ↑ "Launch of EUMETSAT MTG-I2" (in en-US). 2026-08-27. https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/archives/72001. 
  24. ↑ Poisson, Juliette (2026-07-20). "Arianespace to launch weather satellite MTG-I2 on Ariane 6's first mission to geostationary orbit on August 27, 2026". https://newsroom.arianespace.com/?p=49782. 
  25. ↑ "MTG-I2 completes Europe’s latest weather trio" (in en). https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Meteorological_missions/meteosat_third_generation/MTG-I2_completes_Europe_s_latest_weather_trio. 
  26. ↑ "Success! MTG-I2 is on its way to geostationary orbit. After acquiring signal, the satellite has been confirmed healthy.". 27 August 2026. https://bsky.app/profile/esa.int/post/3mu3qbwnvek2r. 

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