Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) is a joint project between ESA and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (Eumetsat) and follows up the success of the first generation Meteosat weather satellite series with a larger design boasting higher performance.
The first in a series of four MSG satellites was launched in 2002, entering into service with Eumetsat in early 2004 and renamed Meteosat-8. The second MSG, Meteosat-9, was launched on 21 December 2005 and MSG-3 was launched on 5 July 2012. They were all launched on an Ariane 5 from the same launch site - Kourou in French Guiana. The fourth satellite (MSG-4) is planned for a launch in 2015.
The MSG satellites continually return detailed imagery of Europe, the North Atlantic and Africa every 15 minutes, for operational use by meteorologists.
The reason for duplication is simply to guarantee continuity of service in case of satellite failure. Weather satellites have become so crucial a part of our daily life that any long gap in service coverage has become inconceivable.
Following on from the Meteosat Second Generation satellites, a new generation of meteorological satellites, the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) family, is being developed. This new series will comprise six satellites: four MTG-I imaging and two MTG-S sounding satellites. The first imager satellite is scheduled to be launched in 2018, with the first sounder satellite following in 2020.
MTG will ensure continuity of high-resolution meteorological data to beyond 2038 from geostationary orbit.
Last update: 8 January 2015