Two revolutionary satellites, MTG-S1 and the Copernicus Sentinel-4 instrument, were successfully launched on July 1, 2025, marking a new era in monitoring Earth's atmosphere. The satellites took off at 23:04 CEST and are now in geostationary orbit at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers. From there, they will provide invaluable data for forecasting severe storms and air pollution levels over Europe and beyond.

The MTG (Meteosat Third Generation) and Copernicus Sentinel-4 missions are the result of a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and European partners, developed to address key scientific and societal challenges. Their launch represents a significant step forward in understanding and predicting atmospheric phenomena.

Revolutionary Data for More Accurate Forecasts

The MTG-S1 satellite is designed to generate completely new types of data, especially suitable for "nowcasting" – short-term forecasting of rapid and sudden changes, such as storm development. Its Infrared Sounder instrument is the first European hyperspectral sounder in geostationary orbit. This allows it to continuously "hover" over Europe and provide:

• Temperature and humidity profiles at different altitudes over Europe every 30 minutes. This data is crucial for identifying atmospheric instability and potential conditions for storm development.


• Data on aerosols, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide over Europe and Africa every 60 minutes, which is extremely important for monitoring air quality.

Copernicus Sentinel-4, an instrument located on the MTG-S1 satellite, is the first mission dedicated to monitoring air quality in Europe from geostationary orbit. Its fixed position above the equator allows it to focus on Europe and North Africa. With the help of its ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared (UVN) spectrometer, it will be able to measure pollution every 60 minutes, with a level of detail and precision that will transform the way we forecast air quality across Europe.

Statements by Key Stakeholders: High Expectations for New Missions

Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programmes at the European Space Agency (ESA), emphasized the importance of these missions: “These two groundbreaking missions will change the way we forecast both severe weather and air quality over Europe. Thanks to the outstanding work of our teams with Eumetsat, the European Commission, and dozens of European industrial partners, we can now look forward to more precise and timely ways of predicting stormy events and air pollution.”

Phil Evans, Director-General of Eumetsat, highlighted the contribution of the MTG-S1 satellite: “MTG-S1 will provide entirely new types of data that will support experts across Eumetsat member states in detecting signs of atmospheric instability even before clouds begin to form. In combination with data from the MTG Imager satellite, it will offer, for the first time, a view from space of the entire lifecycle of convective storms. This will provide enormous support to national meteorological services in carrying out their vital work, helping to save lives, reduce disruptions, and strengthen resilience.”

Christoph Kautz, Director for Space Policy, Satellite Navigation, and Earth Observation at the European Commission (DEFIS), congratulated on the successful launch of Copernicus Sentinel-4: “Congratulations to everyone involved in the launch of Copernicus Sentinel-4. This new Copernicus mission is expected to improve Europe's ability to monitor the atmosphere from space. Data from this mission will be invaluable for the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), which already contributes greatly to public health and environmental monitoring, among others.”

Launch Details and Technical Specifications

MTG-S1 and Copernicus Sentinel-4 were launched on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the United States. Liftoff was at 23:04 CEST (17:04 local time). Signal acquisition confirmation followed at 23:39 CEST, after which the satellite's solar panels unfolded, confirming that the mission had sufficient power. This phase is a crucial point where mission teams recognize the success of the launch.

About the MTG-S1 Mission

The MTG mission had previously launched one satellite – MTG-Imager (MTG-I) – so MTG-S is now the second MTG satellite in orbit. Its Infrared Sounder instrument uses interferometric techniques to collect data on temperature, humidity, wind, and trace gases. This data is used to generate three-dimensional maps of the atmosphere, greatly improving the accuracy of weather forecasts. The Infrared Sounder is the first hyperspectral sounder instrument placed in geostationary orbit by a European-led mission.

The satellite will be positioned approximately 36,000 km above the equator and will maintain its position relative to Earth, tracking the same area on the planet's surface as it rotates. It will cover Europe and parts of North Africa in repeating cycles, providing meteorologists with a complete weather picture of the region. This data complements information on cloud formation and lightning provided by MTG-I. For more information on accommodation in that area, please visit accommodation in Cape Canaveral.

“This mission – and indeed everyone involved in the project – has been an incredible journey,” said James Champion, MTG Project Manager at ESA. “We now have very high expectations that the Infrared Sounder will truly be a game-changer for more accurate and timely forecasts of extreme weather, making a real difference to people’s lives and livelihoods across Europe and North Africa.”

The prime contractor for the entire MTG mission was Thales Alenia Space, while OHB Systems was responsible for MTG-Sounder. Mission control and data distribution will be managed by Eumetsat.

About the Copernicus Sentinel-4 Mission

The MTG-S satellite carries the UVN spectrometer for the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission. Copernicus is the Earth observation component of the European Space Programme. The spectrometer provides high-resolution data on gases affecting the air quality we breathe, including a wide range of atmospheric trace gases and pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and formaldehyde.

This mission will complement the Sentinel-5 and Sentinel-5P missions, which provide daily observations of Earth from polar orbits. Sentinel-4 is the European Union's contribution to the global constellation of geostationary air quality sensors. It will work alongside the Korean GEMS sensor, which observes air pollution over Asia, and NASA's TEMPO sensor, which measures air pollution over North America.

“Sentinel-4 brings something truly new to the Copernicus Sentinel Earth observation satellite family, and we at ESA are incredibly proud to have contributed to bringing the mission from development to launch,” said Giorgio Bagnasco, Sentinel-4 Project Manager at ESA. “This mission has an incredibly sensitive and precise instrument, which will transform the way we forecast atmospheric pollution and understand air quality trends.”

The prime contractor for Sentinel-4 is Airbus Defence and Space. As with the MTG-S1 satellite, mission control and data distribution for Sentinel-4 will be managed by Eumetsat. For additional information on accommodation in that region, consider accommodation in Florida.