MTG-I2 Launches on Ariane 6, Completing 3-Satellite European Weather Network

3 articles · Updated · blue News | Romandie · Aug 27

MTG-I2 lifted off late Wednesday from Kourou, French Guiana, aboard Ariane 6, starting a roughly 10-day journey to its 36,000-km operating orbit.
The 3.8-metric-ton satellite will image Europe and North Africa every 2.5 minutes, helping forecasters spot fast-forming thunderstorms, flash floods, hail and high winds sooner than older systems.
German Weather Service official Ulrich Blahak said the higher-frequency imagery effectively turns storm development into video, allowing thunderstorm evolution to be detected about 15 minutes earlier than with 10-minute snapshots.
MTG-I2 joins an existing imager and sounder to complete the Meteosat Third Generation constellation, which is also designed to detect wildfire hotspots and volcanic ash clouds more quickly.
Developed by ESA for Eumetsat with key components built by OHB, the satellite is expected to operate for more than 10 years.