Meteosat Third Generation sounder satellite guided into orbit

The launch and early orbit phase for the Meteosat Third Generation sounder (MTG-S1) satellite (hosting the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission on board) lasted over 17 days, during which time the satellite was carefully guided, step-by-step, from launch separation to its target orbital slot.

MTG-S1 was injected into a super-synchronous transfer orbit, with an apogee of about 64 000 km, a perigee of 300 km, and an inclination of 21°. Its initial injection orbit after launcher separation is shown in dark blue in this image. The light blue orbit (fully circular) is the final geostationary orbit. The satellite’s highly elliptical initial path required a longer and more complex series of manoeuvres, including five liquid apogee engine burns, to gradually bring the satellite to its final orbit.

Read full story: Another milestone for the future of European weather observation