New European weather satellite launched to improve storm warnings

Europe has launched its latest weather satellite, Meteosat Third Generation Imager-2 (MTG-I2), into orbit from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Aboard an Ariane-6 rocket, the 3.8-ton satellite is set to significantly improve early warnings for severe weather events like storms and flash floods, and aid in the monitoring of active wildfires.

MTG-I2 is part of a new generation of weather satellites designed to provide more frequent and detailed imagery. While its predecessor Imager covers the entire Earth, MTG-I2 will focus on Europe and North Africa. It is designed to send a new image every two and a half minutes, a much higher frequency than previous satellites, allowing for quicker detection of rapidly developing phenomena such as storm clouds, wildfire hotspots, and volcanic ash plumes.

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With the new satellite, we get a film of it. That's better than just a snapshot every ten minutes.

This enhanced capability will benefit national weather services, including the German Weather Service (DWD). Ulrich Blahak from the DWD highlighted the advantage of receiving near real-time "film" of developing thunderstorms, rather than just occasional snapshots. This increased frequency and detail could allow meteorologists to anticipate severe weather up to fifteen minutes earlier, improving short-term forecasts and warnings for hail, flash floods, and strong winds.

Developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (Eumetsat), MTG-I2 is expected to have a lifespan of over ten years. It joins an existing constellation that includes a first Imager and a Sounder satellite, working together to provide comprehensive atmospheric data from an altitude of 36,000 kilometers.

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Thunderstorms develop very quickly. With the new satellite, we get a film of it. That's better than just a snapshot every ten minutes.