MTG-I1 removed from transport container

After a two-week voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, the first Meteosat Third Generation satellite, MTG-I1, is safe and sound in one of the spaceport’s cleanrooms. The photograph shows the satellite being rolled out of its protective transport container. Satellite engineers are now readying it for liftoff on an Ariane 5 rocket in December. Once in geostationary orbit, this new satellite, which carries two new extremely sensitive instruments, promises to further bolster Europe's leadership in weather forecasting.

Read full story: Europe’s all-new weather satellite arrives at launch site