The first Meteosat Third Generation Imager (MTG-I1) satellite launches on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The animation shows the satellite’s solar arrays deploying.

MTG-I1 is the first of six satellites that 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.