The history of weather satellites covers a relatively short period of not even 50 years – but today they have become absolutely indispensable for modern life.

The success story of satellite meteorology in Europe is closely linked to two organisations. One is EUMETSAT itself which in just two decades has become one of the worlds pre-eminent meteorological and environmental satellite organisations, serving the interests of Europe's National Meteorological Services, the citizens of Europe and way beyond. The other is the European Space Agency (ESA). ESA research expertise was required for the conception and development of the first Meteosat back in the 1970s and ESA was also the driving force behind the original formation of EUMETSAT. Over the past 20 years the relationship between the two organisations has evolved and ESA has now become an established and important cooperation partner and procurement agency for EUMETSAT.

The timeline below shows the key milestones in our journey from idea to reality.
The timeline is divided into four 'periods', which contain the milestones and detailed descriptions of each.

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