During the Council meeting which took place on 26-27 June 2024 the EUMETSAT member states, in line with the organisation’s convention, reiterated their support to European industrial technologies and the objective to maintain an independent access to space for Europe.
MTG-S1 is a unique masterpiece of European technology. This first European sounding satellite in a geostationary orbit will bring a revolution for weather forecasting and climate monitoring in Europe and Africa, and make it possible, for the first time, to observe the full lifecycle of a convective storm from space. Its launch will ensure that national weather services can benefit from new and more accurate data to protect lives, properties and infrastructures.
As such, the EUMETSAT member states 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.
“This decision was driven by exceptional circumstances” explains EUMETSAT Director-General Phil Evans. “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.”
The launch service contracts for the upcoming MTG-I2, Metop-SGA and Metop-SGB satellites remain with Arianespace who continues to be our long-standing and trusted launch partner.
