Made by OHB: New European weather satellite successfully launched into space

Cape Canaveral / Bremen, 2 July 2025 - A picture book launch for the new European weather satellite MTG-S1. As part of the third generation of weather satellites (MTG = Meteosat Third Generation), it will be positioned at an altitude of 36,000 kilometres in geostationary orbit. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying MTG-S1 lifted off from launch pad 39A in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 23:04 (CEST) on Tuesday.  Space company OHB System AG had developed and built the satellite on behalf of the European Space Agency ESA, tested it under space conditions and prepared it for launch. There could not have been more joy at OHB when MTG-S1 was separated from the rocket und sent its first sign of life from space 35 minutes after launch.

"We are happy and proud that, together with ESA and EUMETSAT as well as our partners from industry, we are launching the first sounder satellite of the MTG programme into geostationary orbit. This will give Europe a prominent role in forecasting extreme weather events such as severe storms, thunderstorms, heavy rain and flooding. The data that this satellite will provide is unique and has not previously been available to weather services. They will be able to warn people of severe weather better and faster than ever before,” said Chiara Pedersoli, CEO of OHB System AG.

The centrepiece of the MTG sounder mission is an infrared instrument that was developed at the OHB site in Oberpfaffenhofen. MTG-S1 will keep a constant eye on Europe and Africa and monitor the weather situation. It scans the atmosphere and determines the distribution of temperatures and water vapour as well as the movement of the individual layers of air in relation to each other. Every 30 minutes, it provides an up-to-date, three-dimensional profile of Earth’s atmosphere. At the same time, the Sentinel 4 instrument, an ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared spectrometer, of the EU's Copernicus Earth observation programme monitors air quality and pollution in Europe.

MTG shows Europe's technological excellence

Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) is one of the most complex and innovative satellite systems ever built. It will provide improved data for weather forecasting from geostationary orbit for the next two decades. MTG is an excellent example of European technological excellence and is based on the long-standing partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), responsible for operating the weather satellites and distributing the data. The first of the new third-generation weather satellites, the MTG Imager 1, was successfully launched in late 2022 and is performing excellently.

Space industry as a reliable partner for maximum precision and continuity

OHB is responsible for all six satellite platforms of the overall MTG system and is also involved in the development of the payloads: the four units of the telescope assembly of the Flexible Combined Imager are being supplied by OHB System AG, as are the two IRS (Infrared Sounding) instruments of the two Sounder satellites. Two imager satellites and one sounder satellite will be in service at the same time. A second constellation of the same design will be stored by OHB and launched as soon as the first has reached the end of its service life.

The industrial consortium of the MTG programme is led by Thales Alenia Space, also prime contractor for the MTG Imager satellites, while OHB is the prime contractor for the MTG Sounder mission.