04 September 2025
03 September 2025
This announcement was made following the approval of an updated launch service agreement at an extraordinary meeting of the EUMETSAT Council in Darmstadt, Germany on 2 September. The improved rapid-scan capabilities MTG-I2’s Flexible Combined Imager will help Europe’s national weather services further improve nowcasts of severe weather, which are vital for timely early warnings that help save lives and protect property and economies. The satellite will complete the three-satellite constellation of EUMETSAT’s next-generation Meteosat geostationary satellites and will also act as a backup for Meteosat-12.
Scheduled for launch in 2026, MTG-I2 will fly as the sole payload on Ariane 62, a shift from the originally planned Ariane 64. Once operational in geostationary orbit, 36,000km above Earth, MTG-I2 will capture high-resolution imagery over Europe every 2.5 minutes – twice as fast as the current Meteosat Second Generation rapid scan service. This rapid frequency will give meteorologists the ability to detect dangerous conditions earlier and track their development in near-real time, supporting observations of thunderstorms, dense fog, dust plumes, and much more.
“Extreme weather has cost European countries at least 85,000 lives and hundreds of billions of euros over the past four decades. The climate crisis increases the likelihood of heatwaves, droughts, floods and severe storms, and we are constantly reminded of the importance of high-resolution and long-term datasets to improve resiliency in communities across our member states and enable them to better respond to challenges,” said Phil Evans, Director-General of EUMETSAT.
“The rapid scanning over Europe provided by MTG-I2 will be invaluable for nowcasting dangerous conditions. As part of the Meteosat Third Generation constellation, MTG-I2 data will support meteorologists in tracking the full life cycle of severe storms, from their formation to dissipation. Ariane 6 gives Europe the means to launch our vital meteorological satellites, ensuring long-term resilience and this updated agreement with Arianespace reflects EUMETSAT’s confidence in European launcher industry and our shared commitment to delivering the programmes that society depends on.”
David Cavailloles, Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace, said: "Following Arianespace's successful launch of EUMETSAT’s Metop-SGA1 satellite in August, this new contract further strengthens the solid relationship between EUMETSAT and Arianespace. We strive to offer our customers the best solutions to enable them to achieve their ambitions. Arianespace is proud to launch MTG-I2, a major European environmental satellite."
About EUMETSAT
EUMETSAT, Europe’s meteorological satellite agency, monitors the weather and climate from space. Based in Darmstadt, Germany, EUMETSAT provides its 30 member states with meteorological imagery and data that are essential for keeping their communities safe and for the benefit of critical sectors of their economies.
EUMETSAT’s 30 member states are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.
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