MTG-I2 weather satellite – Storms, hurricanes, heatwaves, heavy rainfall… As extreme weather events intensify, Europe is continuing the deployment of its Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) programme, designed to strengthen its weather observation capabilities. A new milestone was reached on August 27 with the launch by Arianespace, aboard an Ariane 62 rocket, of the MTG-I2 satellite, carrying a Flexible Combined Imager, from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Cooperation between the European Space Agency (ESA) and EUMETSAT, the satellite developed by Thales Alenia Space will provide essential meteorological data to improve day-and-night monitoring of atmospheric movements and help anticipate extreme weather events. At the heart of its onboard technology are four infrared detectors developed by LYNRED, a global leader in infrared imaging technologies, which will play a key role in collecting the data supplied to meteorological services.
Designed to acquire high-resolution images across eleven different infrared spectral bands, these detectors cover an exceptionally broad spectral range, from near infrared (NIR) to very long-wave infrared (VLWIR), providing increasingly precise data on an almost real-time basis.
These observation capabilities will notably enable:
- Monitoring of cloud structures and atmospheric moisture;
- Analysis of atmospheric movements at different altitudes;
- Early detection and monitoring of extreme weather events such as storms and hurricanes.
A new generation of satellites for more responsive weather observation
Following the launch of MTG-I1 in 2022, now Meteosat-12, and MTG-S1 in 2025, which will become Meteosat-13, the arrival of MTG-I2 completes the entire first MTG family.
The mission is carried out through the joint operation of two imaging satellites (Meteosat-12 and MTG-I2) and one sounding satellite (MTG-S1), delivering world-leading performance in terms of repeatability, resolution, and multispectral coverage for meteorological imaging and sounding applications.
This new generation notably reduces the weather image refresh time to 2.5 minutes over Europe for the mission assigned to the MTG-I2 satellite, compared to 15 minutes for the previous generation (Meteosat Second Generation).
Twenty years of development serving European meteorology
The launch of MTG-I2 marks the culmination of nearly two decades of technological and industrial development, building on the operational success of MTG-I1 (Meteosat-12) and MTG-S1 (the future Meteosat-13).
It also demonstrates LYNRED’s expertise in space applications and the development of very high-performance infrared detectors. The company developed all the infrared detectors of MTG imaging satellites, 16 detectors in total, eight of which are now in orbit following this launch.
The technologies developed as part of the MTG programme now enable LYNRED to offer a comprehensive range of multispectral sensors, from SWIR to VLWIR, addressing the requirements of numerous environmental and scientific missions.
With 85 detectors now in orbit, LYNRED has established itself as a leading player in European space applications.
“The MTG programme is one of the most ambitious space projects ever undertaken in Europe for meteorological applications. We are proud to have developed and manufactured detectors capable of meeting the most demanding requirements for observing weather and climate-related phenomena. This launch further strengthens LYNRED’s heritage and experience in this field. Our contribution to this major programme once again demonstrates our technological expertise and our position as a reference player in space-based meteorological applications,” said Philippe Chorier, Space Business Development Manager at LYNRED.
For more information visit: https://www.lynred.com/
