Ibadan, 1 July 2024. – The European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) member states, during a Council meeting which took place on 26-27 June 2024, decided to award a launch service contract to SpaceX for the launch of the Meteosat Third Generation-Sounder 1 (MTG-S1) satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket in 2025. The Satellite was initially to launch on the new Ariane 6’s third flight around early 2025.
However, EUMETSAT member states reiterated their support for European industrial technologies and the objective to maintain independent access to space for Europe. Furthermore, EUMETSAT Director-General Phil Evans, said, “This decision was driven by exceptional circumstances. It does not compromise our standard policy of supporting European partners, and we look forward to a successful SpaceX launch for this masterpiece of European technology.”
MTG-S1 will be the first European-sounding satellite in a geostationary orbit and it aims to revolutionize weather forecasting and climate monitoring in Europe and Africa. Furthermore, the satellite will make it possible, for the first time, to observe the full lifecycle of a convective storm from space. Its launch will also ensure that national weather services can benefit from new and more accurate data to protect lives, properties and infrastructures.
Meanwhile, Europe and the Ariane 6 task force are working towards Ariane 6’s inaugural launch on July 9. Towards the launch, ESA has transferred Ariane 6’s upper composite with the payloads it will launch to Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The upper part of the rocket journeyed from the encapsulation hall in Europe’s Spaceport to the launch pad. After checking the milestone of transferring the upper composite, by June 30, the Ariane 6 launch system will receive approval to close all aspects of its qualification after completing the final step of the launch system qualification.
