A weather satellite that will track lightning and storms in unprecedented detail is now sealed inside an Ariane 6 rocket, with liftoff scheduled for Thursday evening from French Guiana. The Meteosat Third Generation Imager2, or MTG-I2, was lowered into the rocket's nose cone and hoisted atop the launcher, which stands vertically on the pad. The mobile gantry will roll away before the countdown, leaving the rocket exposed for its evening departure.
A Satellite Built to See Storms Like Never Before
MTG-I2 is the second imager in Europe's new Meteosat Third Generation constellation, a joint effort by the European Space Agency and Thales Alenia Space. It will spend at least eight and a half years in orbit, capturing data on lightning, atmosphere, clouds, and developing storms. The satellite is designed to improve weather forecasts across Europe and North Africa, giving meteorologists a sharper view of fast-forming severe weather.
The satellite's journey to the launch pad began in cleanrooms in Cannes, France, where it underwent thermal vacuum testing. It then traveled by ship from France to Pariacabo harbour in French Guiana, and was transported to Europe's Spaceport. There, teams inspected every hinge, bolt, and surface, and performed a fit check with the launch vehicle adapter to ensure everything aligned perfectly.
Final Checks and a Fairing With a Patch
In the Hazardous Processing Facility, propellant loading was completed, and the satellite was positioned on a payload transporter. The two halves of the Ariane 6 fairing were fixed together, and the cone was lowered over MTG-I2. The upper segment, with the satellite inside, was then hoisted onto the rocket, which was already standing vertically inside the Mobile Gantry. An MTG-I2 patch and ESA logo were added to the fairing for the ninth Ariane 6 launch.
Seven ESA team members are on site in French Guiana, overseeing the final preparations. The launch will complete the first family of MTG satellites, marking a milestone for European weather monitoring. Once in orbit, MTG-I2 will join its predecessor to provide continuous, high-resolution data that could help save lives by giving earlier warnings of severe storms.
