Almost ready Mtg-I1, the weather satellite that will revolutionize forecasts in Europe

The Mtg-I1 weather satellite destined to revolutionize weather forecasts in Europe has entered the final integration phase, before leaving for launch from Kourou. Mtg-I1 is in fact the first imaging satellite of the third generation Meteosat fleet. Thales Alenia Space (joint venture between Thales 67% and Leonardo 33%), as the first contractor for the Meteosat Third Generation (Mtg) satellites, has announced that it is completing the integration of the Mtg-I1 satellite which will start shortly for the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, where the launch is scheduled for the end of 2022 with the Ariane 5 vector. Mtg-I1 is the first imaging satellite of the third generation Meteosat program and aims to improve weather forecasts in Europe and Africa. Designed as a ‘follow-on’ to the second generation Meteosat series (Msg), the Mtg program is the result of a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Eumetsat1 to ensure the continuity of high-resolution weather monitoring after 2040 Made by Thales Alenia Space, in collaboration with Ohb, the Mtg satellites will operate in geostationary orbit 36,000 kilometers above the Earth and will have a lifespan of 8.5 years. The Mtg program includes six satellites: four imaging satellites (Mtg-I) and two satellites for the study of the atmosphere (Mtg-S) capable of providing three-dimensional maps of the atmosphere, “an important technological innovation” underlines Thales Alenia Space.The Mtg-I1 satellite features a flexible combo ‘imager’, a technological gem capable of providing a complete image of the Earth every 10 minutes, compared to the previous generation’s 15 minutes, which also includes a fast mode to provide pictures of Europe every 2.5 minutes. With a spatial resolution of 0.5 to 1 km, the satellite will improve the reliability of weather forecasts on a time scale ranging from minutes to hours. The MTG-I1 is also equipped with an extremely sophisticated ‘lightning imager’, the first of its kind in Europe. Developed by Leonardo, the system consists of four telescopes and will be able to detect flashes of lightning from cloud to cloud and from cloud to ground in all possible scenarios, for example both day and night. Thales Alenia Space explains that “this unique tool will allow us to deepen our knowledge of how lightning is generated, help make emergency alerts for the population more reliable, as well as improve knowledge of the weather, air traffic control safety and awareness of climate change “. The first satellite of the Mtg series will be operational in orbit in 2023 and will be joined by three other imaging satellites and two ‘sounding’ satellites between 2026 and 2030 and together, they will form a geostationary constellation managed by Eumetsat. By combining information from the entire system, forecasters will be able to provide more accurate weather forecasts eight days in advance, a big step forward in terms of monitoring extreme weather conditions. When the entire MTG fleet is in orbit, Eumetsat will have the most efficient weather services in the world. “The third generation Meteosat constellation will revolutionize weather forecasting and broaden our understanding of climate change happening today,” commented Pierre Armand, MTG program director for Thales Alenia Space.