MTG-I2 ready for launch on Ariane 6

MTG-I2 has been fully prepared for launch: the satellite was encapsulated inside the two halves of the Ariane 6 fairing, which were already secured together, and the cone was lowered over the spacecraft. This upper segment was then hoisted onto the rocket, which stands vertically on the launch pad inside the Mobile Gantry. All systems are in place, and the Mobile Gantry will be rolled away before the countdown begins for a lift-off on the evening of Thursday, 27 August, from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.

MTG-I2 is the second imager satellite in the Meteosat Third Generation program and will complete the first family of MTG satellites. It delivers data for weather forecasting over Europe and northern Africa with unprecedented quality, quantity and frequency, providing high-resolution images of the atmosphere every 2.5 minutes. This improved capability will enable earlier warnings of severe thunderstorms and heavy rain, helping emergency services, authorities and citizens be better prepared. It also supports key weather-dependent economies, including agriculture, transport, insurance, tourism, infrastructure and energy networks.

This launch will be the ninth flight of Europe's heavy-lift Ariane 6 rocket. The vehicle is configured with two P120C-based solid-propellant boosters to lift MTG-I2 into a geostationary transfer orbit — the first Ariane 6 mission to this destination and the farthest the rocket has flown to date. The MTG satellites are developed by ESA, built by a European consortium led by Thales Alenia Space with main partners OHB System and Leonardo, and operated by Eumetsat after commissioning.