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DLR selects seven customers for RFA´s inaugural flight

Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have announced the winners of the microlauncher payload competition — according to the announcement, seven companies with a total payload of 136kg will launch on the first flight of RFA ONE. No other small launch provider was entrusted with payload from so many customers for their first flight. The application round for RFA ONE’s second flight is still open.

After winning the April 2022 DLR microlauncher competition, RFA received €11 million in prize money and won the German government as an anchor customer for its first two flights. Satellite manufacturers, research institutes, and start-ups were then invited to apply over an DLR Announcement of Opportunity for these flights.

A jury selected the seven winners for RFA ONE´s first launch, which will fly into SSO at an altitude of 500 km. There, the satellites will be precisely deployed and can be swiftly commissioned to carry out their mission. The launch is scheduled for late 2023.

The payload competition is embedded in the microlauncher competition of the German Space Agency at DLR. The goal of this program is to advance the commercialization of European spaceflight and to improve the autonomy and competitiveness of companies and research institutions, especially in the field of smaller payloads. The German government purchased 150kg for each of the first two flights of RFA ONE

The application deadline for the second RFA launch is in April 2023.

“We are proud to have so much capacity booked on our first flight with these seven customers. The full utilization of the payload capacity available to DLR is a strong vote of confidence in our product and services, as well as in us as a company and team,” said Jörn Spurmann, Chief Commercial Officer at RFA. “The collaboration with DLR is very beneficial for both sides and the German concept is a role model in Europe that others are adopting. We should continue to expand and develop it in order to be able to launch even more payloads into orbit flexibly and cost-effectively. The demand is definitely there.”

“Technological excellence and cost-efficient value creation processes are the basis for positioning oneself successfully in the dynamic and growing small satellite market. Start-ups and SMEs play an essential role here due to their agility,” said Walther Pelzer, Member of the DLR Executive Board and Director General of the German Space Agency at DLR. “The reliable prospect of public contracts helps young companies in particular to secure funding. Our microlauncher and payload competitions are key elements here,” adds Pelzer, referring to the role of the state as an anchor customer.”

The seven companies that will be on board the first flight of RFA ONE are…

  • AllBertEinStein, TU Munich, Germany
    For the AllBert EinStein project, precisely characterized artificial meteoroids will be launched into space on an upper stage. The objects will have diameters of 5 and 10cm consisting of iron and rocky material, thereby mimicking real meteoroids. Only after the de-orbit burn of the upper stage, the meteoroids will be deployed and therefore all objects will enter the atmosphere on a well-known trajectory. The optical radiation of the resulting fireballs and its spectral composition will be recorded via an airborne observation campaign.
  • Curium Two, PTS – Planetary Transportations Systems, Germany
    The mission is designed to test and validate new electronics such as GPU’s and sensors for future commercial space missions. For this, the components are installed as payloads within a commercial cubesat platform and could be individually powered on and off for testing purposes over a longer period in space (ideally +12months).
  • ERMINAZ, AMSAT-Deutschland e.V., Germany
    The mission proposed is a syndicated, multi-PocketQube mission (1x 2P + 2x 1.5P + 3x 1P, total of 6 PQs), involving several EU countries, the amateur radio community, AMSAT-DL, AMSAT-EA (Spain), ESERO-Deutschland (Bochum Observatory), Libre Space Foundation (Greece) and other EU non-profit organizations or institutions. They work to create open-source space technologies for educational purposes and to promote, advance and develop knowledge for space. Using PocketQube technology will allow them to maximize the mission impact, involving several institutions, universities, and teams.
  • PCIOD, DCUBED, Germany
    Over the last 1.5 years, DCUBED, together with partners, developed a deployable NanoSat 100W solar array that fits in a 1U stowage volume. The activity was carried out under a ESA Artes AT. In this activity an EM was built and tested (vibe, shock, TVAC). DCUBED has already started building the FM with Bavarian state funding. Now, they are launching an IOD mission for their PowerCube 100W 1U solar array. The array is a subsystem that can be mounted directly on the launcher platform (e.g. kickstage) and deploy after all other satellites are released. The PCIOD can then be de-orbited directly with the upper/kickstage.
  • Separation Ring Mission, SPACEMIND (NPC – New Production Concept SRL), Italy
    The mission aims to on-orbit demonstrate the functioning of a re-scaled separation ring for nanosatellites. The ring will be contained in a modified 12U deployer to minimize the risk to cause damage to the other payloads in case of malfunctioning. The ring is mounted on a fixed plate inside the customized deployer (no ejection springs are present in the deployer) and, when the deployer opens the doors, the ring will be activated releasing a smallsat.
  • SpaceDREAM, Kinetik Space, Germany
    A small form factor, light weight, robotic arm will be directly mounted on the orbital stage vehicle of RFA. The arm is equipped with a magnetic end effector. A free-floating Cubesat 1U, tethered to the orbital stage, will be “released” (but still tethered), then recaptured using the magnetic coupling of the robotic arm. The robotic arm will demonstrate autonomous operation to capture of a free-floating object, as well as the vision tracking capabilities.

The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is the Federal Republic of Germany’s research centre for aeronautics and space. The organization also conducts research and development activities in the fields of aeronautics, space, energy, transport, security and digitization. Within DLR the German Space Agency implements the Federal Government’s space strategy. More than 330 employees based in Bonn coordinate all of the German space activities at national and European levels and represents German space interests worldwide on behalf of the Federal Government. The tasks of German Space Agency at DLR include the planning and implementation of the national space program and the management of Germany’s contributions to the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).

Rocket Factory Augsburg was founded in 2018 with the vision to enable data generating business models in space to better monitor, protect and connect our planet Earth. Against this background, the company’s goal is to offer launch services of up to 1.300kg into low Earth orbits and beyond on a weekly basis at unmatched prices. With this, RFA wants to democratize access to space and reduce the launch costs in the space industry. The RFA ONE launch service combines three key competitive advantages: A customer focused service with precise in-orbit delivery and a high degree of mission flexibility through its orbital stage; at a highly competitive price; made possible by superior staged combustion technology, low-cost structures and usage of industrial components.

Redwire’s cybersecurity tech to support DARPA mission

Redwire Corporation‘s suite of space cybersecurity tools, developed with BigBear.ai, will be used by Mynaric (in the development of an advanced satellite communication (SATCOM) program that is sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Mynaric will use Redwire and BigBear.ai’s Space Cyber Resiliency through Evaluation and Security Testing (SpaceCREST) platform to support the cybersecurity evaluation of their optical communications terminal.

The SpaceCREST platform ensures the security of its optical communications terminal design for Phase 1 of DARPA’s Space Based Adaptive Communications Node (Space-BACN) program. The program seeks to develop reconfigurable, multi-protocol communications terminals that are small, lightweight, low-power, inexpensive, and able to connect many different satellite constellations in LEO. SpaceCREST will be used to identify vulnerabilities that could affect the terminal or disrupt its operation and then find ways to protect against those vulnerabilities.

SpaceCREST will also use Redwire’s digital engineering capabilities to make cybersecurity analysis of space assets more streamlined and reliable.

With Redwire’s Advanced Configurable Open-system Research Network (ACORN) tools and technologies, SpaceCREST enables users to simulate and emulate various hardware and software systems as they are being designed and built. Using SpaceCREST, Mynaric will be able to ensure that its communications terminals are both secure and resilient.

“Redwire is proud to support Mynaric in identifying and mitigating potential vulnerabilities within crucial national security programs,” said Dean Bellamy, Redwire’s Executive Vice President of National Security Space. “This application of SpaceCREST demonstrates the value that Redwire and BigBear.ai’s collaboration holds for the growing space economy. SpaceCREST will be a critical tool for proactive maintenance and protection of government and commercial customers building the next generation of resilient space architectures.”

“As the world has increased its reliance on space assets in both government and commercial operations – ranging from mission-critical national security operations to GPS navigation – the ability to accurately detect and address system vulnerabilities is essential to the everyday lives of billions of people,” said Eric Conway, BigBear.ai’s Senior Vice President of Technology, Federal Solutions. “BigBear.ai is excited to partner with Redwire to deliver SpaceCREST to Mynaric in support of DARPA’s efforts to ensure the next generation of satellite communications are resilient to cyberattacks.”

Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW) is a leader in space infrastructure for the next generation space economy, with valuable IP for solar power generation and in-space 3D printing and manufacturing. With decades of flight heritage combined with the agile and innovative culture of a commercial space platform, Redwire is uniquely positioned to assist its customers in solving the complex challenges of future space missions.

BigBear.ai delivers AI-powered analytics and cyber engineering solutions to support mission-critical operations and decision-making in complex, real-world environments. BigBear.ai’s customers, which include the U.S. Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, the U.S. Federal Government, as well as customers in manufacturing, healthcare, commercial space, and other sectors, rely on BigBear.ai’s solutions to see and shape their world through reliable, predictive insights and goal-oriented advice. Headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, BigBear.ai is a global, public company traded on the NYSE under the symbol BBAI.

SpaceX introduces the Starshield secured satellite network for government entities

Starshield has debuted… this new effort by SpaceX leverages Starlink technology and launch capability in support of national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on three areas:

  • Earth Observation: Starshield will launch satellites with sensing payloads and will deliver processed data directly to the user.
  • Communications: Starshield will provide assured global communications to government users with Starshield user equipment.
  • Hosted payloads: Starshield will build satellite buses to support the most demanding customer payload missions.
  • Security: Starlink already offers unparalleled, end-to-end, user data encryption and will employ additional, high-assurance, cryptographic capabilities to host classified payloads and will process data securely to meet the most demanding government requirements.
  • Modular Design: Designed to meet diverse mission requirements, Starshield satellites will be capable of integrating a wide variety of payloads, offering unique versatility to users.
  • Interoperability: Starlink’s inter-satellite laser communications terminal, which is the only communications laser operating at scale in orbit today, can be integrated onto partner satellites to enable incorporation into the Starshield network.
  • Rapid Development and Deployment: With the proven ability to iterate rapidly, SpaceX’s unique full-stack approach in developing end-to-end systems, from launch vehicles to user terminals, enables the deployment of capabilities at scale with unprecedented speed.
  • Resilient and scalable capability: Starshield’s proliferated LEO architecture provides inherent resiliency and constant connectivity to on-orbit assets, while SpaceX’s proven rapid launch capability provides expedient and economical access to space.
  • Proven Partnerships: SpaceX’s ongoing work with the Department of Defense and other partners demonstrates the company’s ability to provide in-space and on-ground capability at scale.

U.S. CENTCOM activates U.S. Space Forces-Central

U.S. Central Command has activated U.S. Space Forces-Central at the component’s permanent headquarters located at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. 

The activation of USSPACEFORCENT is another step for the U.S. Space Force to provide forces to combatant commands, providing combatant commanders with organic space planning and employment expertise.

USSPACEFORCENT is responsible for space operations within the CENTCOM area of responsibility including capabilities such as positioning, navigation and timing, satellite communication, missile warnings, and other missions as required.

Activating this component under CENTCOM provides expert Guardians to work with coalition and regional partners to integrate space activities into shared operations and adds another level of commitment to partners by further strengthening regional stability and security within the CENTCOM area of responsibility.

“Just as the evolution of space as a warfighting domain necessitated the establishment of a separate service, USSPACEFORCENT provides CENTCOM a subordinate command focused solely and continuously on space integration across the command, within all domains and all components,” said U.S. Space Force Col. Christopher Putman, USSPACEFORCENT commander.

“Space underpins every element of warfighting in the CENTCOM region,” said CENTCOM commander, Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla. “…Since the Cold War, space has ceased to be a sanctuary. It is no longer solely the realm of progress and peace. Space is now a domain of conquest, conflict, and – for us – cooperation.”

Rocket Lab’s new subsidiary, Rocket Lab National Security, to serve defense and intelligence community

Rocket Lab USA, Inc., a launch and space systems company, has created a U.S.-based, wholly owned subsidiary to serve the defense and intelligence community — Rocket Lab National Security LLC (RLNS) will deliver launch services and space systems capabilities to the U.S. government and allies.

Electron

Since the Company’s first launch of the Electron rocket in 2017, Rocket Lab has conducted multiple successful launches for national security customers, including missions for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), U.S. Space Force, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Rocket Lab Space Systems technology has also been featured in hundreds of commercial and government satellites serving the national security market, from separation systems and flight software to space solar power and high-performance star trackers. Under the new RLNS subsidiary, Rocket Lab will build on this proven track record to deliver new and existing space capabilities for national security applications.

Electron recovery

“Across our launch and space systems offerings, we have the privilege of working with the full spectrum of space users from primes, commercial constellation operators and small start-ups, to US and Allied government customers,” said Brian Rogers, Senior Director – Global Government Launch Services. “Through Electron, Neutron and Space Systems, we’ve got first-hand experience of each market’s unique needs. Top of the list for national security is reliability and responsiveness, something we’ve delivered on across multiple missions already. With Rocket Lab National Security we’re building on this strong heritage to deliver tailored capabilities that evolve as the nation’s needs do.”

Eutelsat selects Thales Alenia Space to build a Flexsat

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) has selected Thales Alenia Space (Thales 67 % and Leonardo 33 %) to build a next-generation, highly flexible, Software-Defined Satellite (SDS).

The Flexsat (for flexible satellite) will be based on Thales Alenia Space’s cutting-edge ‘Space Inspire’ (INstant SPace In-orbit REconfiguration) product line, enabling seamless reconfiguration and instant on-orbit adjustment to offer an optimum level of customer service, maximizing the effective use of the satellite resources.

The new satellite will expand Eutelsat’s on-orbit assets, providing more than 100 Gbps of incremental capacity over the Americas to support the surging Connectivity market. Its performances combined with the high level of flexibility in terms of coverage, bandwidth allocation, and power levels, will offer an unparalleled quality of service to Eutelsat’s B2B customers for its ADVANCE backhauling, enterprise, government, aero, and maritime solutions.

This satellite will also be able to accommodate joint GEO-LEO services, specifically in zones where demand is highly concentrated.

The Flexsat is expected to be delivered in 2026. The capital expenditure associated with the program is embedded in Eutelsat’s standalone capital expenditure and adjusted discretionary free cash flow estimates for FY2022-23 and FY2023-24 and is also included in the financial trajectory of the proposed combination of Eutelsat and OneWeb.

The Flexsat is the 6th satellite based on Space Inspire product line and the 6th telecommunication satellite contract awarded to Thales Alenia Space this year.

Eva Berneke. Chief Executive Officer of Eutelsat, said, “The uniqueness of a Flexsat makes it particularly convenient to optimise capacity and reconfigure services during the satellite’s lifetime, depending on applications and coverage areas. This new satellite will further underpin Eutelsat’s growth strategy aimed at addressing the booming Connectivity segment and it is also able to support joint GEO-LEO services. We are delighted to partner once again with Thales Alenia Space, and proud to be among the first customers of the innovative Space Inspire product line.”

“By ordering the first Software Defined Satellite of its fleet based on Space Inspire product line, Eutelsat has once again expressed its confidence in Thales Alenia Space, extending a long partnership recently marked by the launches of EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS in September and of EUTELSAT 10B last week,” said Hervé Derrey, CEO of Thales Alenia Space.

Arianespace Ariane 6 to launch Intelsat satellites

Arianespace has signed a contract with longtime customer Intelsat to launch two satellite payloads — IS-41 and IS-44 — using the heavy-lift Ariane 64 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana in 2025 — this agreement repurposes a previous launch contract and adds one additional satellite.

Thales Alenia Space is manufacturing the IS-41 and IS-44 satellites, which are based on the innovative and flexible Space Inspire product line. The two software-defined satellites, fully reconfigurable on-orbit, will collectively weigh close to 8000kg at launch and will be placed into the requested geostationary transfer orbit.

Ariane 6 has been designed from the outset to be scalable and able to integrate, during its life and on a regular basis, new technologies. Ariane 6’s incremental development is intended to regularly improve the performance of the launch solutions offered by Arianespace and always better fulfill the needs of institutional and commercial customers. These developments are funded and managed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and implemented by Ariane 6’s launcher system prime contractor ArianeGroup.

“We are honored, yet again, by our faithful longtime partner Intelsat with another significant contract,” said Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace. “Intelsat is entrusting us with two highly sophisticated payloads for flight aboard our next generation heavy lift vehicle, the Ariane 64. What a tremendous vote of confidence in our team and our launcher! This special relationship goes back four decades and spans the entire Ariane line.”

“Launched with the Ariane 6, these innovative satellites will extend Intelsat’s 5G global reach and Media neighborhoods with high-speed, dynamically-allocated connectivity across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia for commercial and government mobility customers, as well as cellular network backhaul,” said David C. Wajsgras, CEO of Intelsat. “Without world-class, international aerospace partners like Arianespace, Intelsat would not be the global leader it is today.”

UPDATE 1: Ready for Falcon 9 push — NASA’s Lunar Flashlight smallsat now set for December 1st launch

This illustration shows NASA’s Lunar Flashlight using its four-laser reflectometer to search for surface water ice as it makes a close approach over the Moon’s South Pole.
Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

When NASA’s Lunar Flashlight launches, the smallsat will start a three month journey, with mission navigators guiding the spacecraft far past the Moon. The smallsat will then be slowly pulled back by gravity from Earth and the Sun before settling into a wide, science-gathering orbit to hunt for surface water ice inside dark regions on the Moon that haven’t seen sunlight in billions of years.

Earlier this year, NASA’s Lunar Flashlight mission underwent tests to prepare it for launch in November 2022. The solar-powered small satellite is shown here with its solar arrays extended in a Georgia Tech clean room.
Photo credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

No larger than a briefcase, Lunar Flashlight will use a reflectometer equipped with four lasers that emit near-infrared light in wavelengths readily absorbed by surface water ice. This is the first time that multiple colored lasers will be used to seek out ice inside these dark craters.

Should the lasers hit bare rock or regolith (broken rock and dust), the light will reflect back to the spacecraft. But if the target absorbs the light, that would indicate the presence of water ice. The greater the absorption, the more ice there may be.

The spacecraft’s orbit – called a Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) – will take it 43,000 miles (70,000 kilometers) from the Moon at its most distant point; at its closest approach, the satellite will graze the surface of the Moon, coming within 9 miles (15 kilometers) above the lunar South Pole.

Smallsats carry a limited amount of propellant, so fuel-intensive orbits aren’t possible. A near-rectilinear halo orbit requires far less fuel than traditional orbits and Lunar Flashlight will be only the second NASA mission to use this type of trajectory. The first is NASA’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) mission, which arrived at its orbit on November 13th., making its closest pass over the Moon’s North Pole.

Lunar Flashlight will use a new kind of “green” propellant that is safer to transport and store than the commonly used in-space propellants such as hydrazine. In fact, Lunar Flashlight will be the first interplanetary spacecraft to use this propellant — one of the mission’s primary goals is to test this technology for future use. The propellant was successfully tested on a previous NASA technology demonstration mission in Earth orbit.

The science data collected by Lunar Flashlight will be compared with observations made by other lunar missions to help reveal the distribution of surface water ice on the Moon for potential use by future astronauts.

“We are bringing a literal flashlight to the Moon – shining lasers into these dark craters to look for definitive signs of water ice covering the upper layer of lunar regolith,” said Barbara Cohen, Lunar Flashlight principal investigator at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “I’m excited to see our mission contribute to our scientific understanding of where water ice is on the Moon and how it got to be there.”

Lunar Flashlight is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on December 1st — see this SatNews posting…

Forrester’s Digest: Sirius XM order satellites from Maxar Technologies

North American pay-radio operator SiriusXM has ordered two powerful geostationary satellites to be built by Maxar Technologies.

The new craft (SXM-11 and SXM-12) now join two other satellites (SXM-9 and 10) already under construction by Maxar. SXM-9 and 10 were ordered in 2021. SXM-11 and 12 will launch around 2026-27. The new craft will have more powerful antennas for improved service to Alaska and Canada.

“This investment reaffirms our commitment to satellite content delivery systems and cutting-edge technology,” said Bridget Neville, SiriusXM’s SVP/Satellite and Terrestrial Engineering and Operations. “SXM-11 and -12, along with SXM-9 and -10, will allow us to innovate and improve our service offerings for subscribers and will extend the continuous and reliable delivery of our audio entertainment content.”

She added that these new satellites take the operational life of the in-space service beyond 2040.

“This agreement, in combination with SXM-9 and -10 ordered last year, shows one of Maxar’s greatest strengths—the advantage of performance at scale,” said Chris Johnson, Maxar’s SVP/Space. “These satellites will provide more capability to SiriusXM’s fleet, including an expanded service area and higher service quality. We continue to push for new ways to expand capability for commercial geostationary customers, keeping our leadership in this market secure and growing.”

SXM-11 and -12 will be twin, high-powered, digital audio radio satellites, built on Maxar’s proven 1300-class platform at the company’s manufacturing facilities in Palo Alto and San Jose, California. Maxar has been building satellites for SiriusXM for more than two decades, including the first-generation Sirius satellites launched in 2000, the second-generation Sirius satellites launched in 2009 and 2013, and the company’s current third-generation satellites, the first one of which started service in 2021. The delivery of SXM-11 and -12 will bring the number of Maxar-built spacecraft for SiriusXM to 13.

There are more than 150 million SiriusXM-equipped vehicles on the road today that rely on SiriusXM’s proprietary satellite network, which is also a key delivery mechanism for the company’s 360L platform. SiriusXM with 360L combines satellite and streaming to ensure the best possible coverage across the US and Canada and the best customer experience. SiriusXM also offers a suite of satellite-delivered Marine and Aviation services that provide pilots and boaters important weather data and information directly to their cockpits.

Article by Chris Forrester, Senior Columnist, SatNews Publishers —
this article first appeared on the Advanced Television infosite…

Europe’s new weather satellite fueled + prepped for a December 13th launch

With liftoff now scheduled for December 13th., Europe’s first Meteosat Third Generation Imager (MTG-I1) satellite has been fueled — once in geostationary orbit, this new weather satellite will provide state-of-the art observations of Earth’s atmosphere and real-time monitoring of lightning events, taking weather forecasting to the next level.

MTG-I1 has been at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana since mid-October being readied for liftoff. Over these last weeks, the satellite’s functionality has been checked out for the last time and all the ‘deployables’, namely the solar array, the Ka-band antenna and the Data Collection Service and Geostationary Search and Rescue instrument antennas, are ready for the launch.

MTG-I1 being moved to the Hazardous Processing Facility

Having confirmed the satellite is ‘good to go’, the next step was to load the two tons of highly volatile fuel into the satellite’s central tanks that will power the craft to its final geostationary orbit and allow for 15 years of operational orbit maintenance. This is an extremely delicate and potentially dangerous phase, with the highly toxic hydrazine and oxidizer being transferred from transport drums into the satellite. To accomplish this action, MTG-I1 was moved to the S5B Hazardous Processing Facility, which has all the necessary detection and decontamination systems needed during this delicate process.

Preparing to fuel MTG-I1

As can be seen from the photographs, the fuelling team is suitably attired in their ‘scape suits’ so that they are completely protected should any unexpected leak occur.

Fueling the MTG-I1

The next step for the fueled satellite, which now weighs almost 3.8 tons, is to mount it onto the launch adapter. This is the first part of the ‘combined operations’ phase with Arianespace where the satellite is assembled carefully into the upper composite of the Ariane 5 rocket. This step also involves the co-passengers, the Galaxy 35 and 36 telecommunication satellites, which occupy the upper position in the launcher fairing.

On December 13th., MTG-I1 is scheduled to launch. This date has actually been advanced by one day, owing to a delay in the preceding Vega-C launch, which will now occur after MTG-I1.

MTG-I1 meets its launch adapter

MTG-I1 is the first of six satellites that will form the full MTG system, which will provide critical data for weather forecasting over the next 20 years. In full operations, the mission will comprise two MTG-I satellites and one MTG Sounding (MTG-S) satellites working in tandem. The MTG-I satellites carry two completely new instruments, a Flexible Combined Imager and Europe’s first Lightning Imager, to deliver high-quality data for better weather forecasting.

The Flexible Combined Imager has more spectral channels and is capable of imaging in higher resolution compared to current Meteosat Second Generation’s Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared instrument.

The Lightning Imager offers a completely new capability for European meteorological satellites and will continuously monitor more than 80% of the Earth for lightning discharges, taking place either between clouds or between clouds and the ground.

The MTG-I satellites also carry two smaller payloads for data collection from remote science beacons and for search and rescue by detecting emergency beacons.

These all-new instruments will allow severe storms to be detected in their early stages and will therefore be key for issuing timely warnings.

The MTG mission is a cooperation between Eumetsat and ESA. ESA is responsible developing and procuring the six MTG satellites. Eumetsat defines the system requirements, develops the ground systems, procures the launch services, operates the satellites, and makes the data available to users.

ESA’s launch campaign manager, James Champion, said, “Everything went smoothly, and all the teams here are very happy that we’ve passed this significant milestone in the launch campaign. Well done to the fuelling team from Thales Alenia Space in France who carried out this delicate operation without a hitch.”

MTG-I1 video