MTG-I2 transported to Hazardous Processing Facility

The Meteosat Third Generation-Imager2 (MTG-I2) satellite has been transferred from the spacecraft preparation and integration building to the Hazardous Processing Facility at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, in preparation for fuelling.

MTG-I2 is part of the MTG constellation – a cutting-edge weather mission based on the long-standing partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Eumetsat. MTG guarantees the continuity of data for weather forecasting from geostationary orbit for the next two decades.

The satellite will improve data for weather forecasts in Europe and in North Africa with its two powerful imagers. One is the Flexible Combined Imager, which provides a rapid scanning service every 2.5 minutes over Europe. The other instrument on board MTG-I2 is the Lightning Imager. This is also an innovative and powerful instrument, able to capture individual lightning events, by day and night.

As well as providing a huge increase in the quality, quantity and frequency of data for European weather forecasting, the MTG instruments also provide climate data.

The satellite will be transported into orbit by Ariane 6.