MTG-S and vacuum chamber

The Meteosat Third Generation Infrared Sounder instrument and the optical vacuum chamber at the CLS Liège Space Center in Belgium in 2023.

The Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) mission guarantees the continuity of data for weather forecasting from geostationary orbit for the next two decades. The full MTG system is based on a series of two types of satellite: four MTG-Imagers and two MTG-Sounders. The first satellite, MTG-I1, was launched on 13 December 2022. The first MTG-S will follow.

The MTG-S satellite accommodates the Infrared Sounder instrument, as well as the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission. The Infrared Sounder will be the first hyperspectral sounding instrument in geostationary orbit. It comprises a complex imaging spectrometer that can detect the distribution, circulation and temperature of water vapour in the atmosphere.

The photograph here shows the Infrared Sounder, with the chamber in the background, before it was attached to the mass of equipment that is needed for the tests. The three-month testing programme confirmed that this huge instrument will work in-line with expectations.