Meteosat Second Generation
Meteosat geostationary satellites have been providing valuable data for more than 40 years.
Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) provides images of the full Earth disc, and data for weather forecasts.
Last Updated
13 September 2023
Published on
28 July 2020
In geostationary orbit 36,000 km above the equator, the Meteosat satellites — Meteosat-9, -10 and -11 — currently operate over Europe, Africa and the Indian Ocean. Meteosat-8 retired on 1 July 2022.
| Satellite | Lifetime | Position | Services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meteosat-11 | 15/07/2015 – Availability lifetime is until 2033 | 9.5°E 36,000 km |
Rapid Scanning Service and Web Imagery. Replaced Meteosat-10 RSS on 28 March 2023. |
| Meteosat-10 | 05/07/2012 – Availability lifetime is until 2030 | 0° 36,000 km |
0º Service including Data Collection Service and Web Imagery. Replaced Meteosat-11 on 21 March 2023. |
| Meteosat-9 | 22/12/2005– Availability lifetime is until 2025 | 45.5° E 36,000 km |
Prime IODC satellite from 1 June 2022. |
| Meteosat-8 | 28/08/2002 – 1/07/2022 | Retired 1/07/2022 |
The MSG system is established under cooperation between EUMETSAT and the ESA, to ensure the continuity of meteorological observations from geostationary orbit, following on from Meteosat First Generation.
After the end of the MSG lifetime there will be a follow-on series — Meteosat Third Generation.
