The initial full-disc image captured by the satellite's Flexible Combined Imager on 20 October detailed cloud formations over the North Atlantic and clear skies above the Sahara. Developed by the European Space Agency and prime contractor Thales Alenia Space, the spacecraft was launched on 27 August 2026. EUMETSAT is currently managing calibration and validation from Darmstadt, Germany, ahead of an expected operational rollout in the second quarter of 2027. This frequent imaging cadence will directly assist emergency services in identifying localized threats, such as flash floods and wildfires, much sooner.
Key points
Forecasters will utilize the 2.5-minute observations to track fast-developing, severe met…: Forecasters will utilize the 2.5-minute observations to track fast-developing, severe meteorological threats with greater precision.
Timelier data access aims to improve emergency service response times for flash floods, h…: Timelier data access aims to improve emergency service response times for flash floods, hail, strong winds, and wildfires.
Routine operational service for the platform is projected to commence in the second quart…: Routine operational service for the platform is projected to commence in the second quarter of 2027 following calibration.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Europe’s meteorological satellite agency, EUMETSAT has released the first image from the Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) on board Meteosat Third Generation Imager 2 (MTG-I2), just over two months after the satellite’s launch on 27 August 2026. The satellite will provide forecasters with high-resolution observations of Europe every 2.5 minutes. This unprecedented frequency will help forecasters monitor fast-developing weather hazards more closely and support earlier, more precise warnings.
Captured from geostationary orbit, some 36,000 km above the Earth, the image acquired on 20 October captures Europe, Africa and the Atlantic in remarkable detail, revealing intricate cloud formations stretching across the North Atlantic, contrasting with the largely clear skies over the Sahara.
While the full-disc image captures a single moment in time, an accompanying rapid-scan animation brings Europe’s weather to life, showing how cloud formations and weather systems evolve through observations taken just 2.5 minutes apart. This offers a glimpse of MTG-I2’s future operational service, which will enable meteorologists to monitor rapidly changing weather conditions over Europe more closely.
These first data follow the handover of MTG-I2 to EUMETSAT’s Mission Control Centre…
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