Arianespace has revealed details on what will be its fourth Ariane 6 launch this year. On August 27, it will look to launch the second Meteosat Third Generation Imager satellite, MTG-I2, with a dedicated Ariane 62, the two-booster configuration of Ariane 6. The launch will also be the Ariane 6’s first flight to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) this year. It will be the ninth Ariane 6 launch so far.

The satellite arrived in French Guiana on June 12 and is currently undergoing launch preparations at the Europe’s Spaceport, Arianespace announced July 20.

Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) is part of a new GEO system provide imagery for the early detection of fast-developing severe storms, weather forecasting, and climate monitoring. The combination of MTG’s instruments and their increased resolution and sensitivity aim to offer significant enhancement on Meteosat Second Generation, particularly in the challenging task of early detection and prediction of rapidly evolving and potentially dangerous weather events such as severe thunderstorms.

MTG satellites have been developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) based on the users’ requirement collected by Eumetsat and built by a large consortium of European industries led by Thales Alenia Space with main partners OHB System in Germany and Leonardo in Italy. Eumetsat develops the ground infrastructure to control and communicate with the satellites, operates them throughout their lifetime, and disseminates the scientific data to users worldwide.

The satellite arrived in French Guiana on June 12 and is currently undergoing launch preparations at the Europe’s Spaceport.