​The Meteosat Third Generation Sounder satellite​ (MTG-S1), carrying the first instrument of the Copernicus Sentinel-4 ​mission, is scheduled to blast off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on 1 July.​

The MTG-S will be the second of its generation to launch. MTG-I, an imaging satellite, is already in orbit. MTG-S will provide 3D maps of the atmosphere using temperature, humidity, wind and trace gas data which will significantly improve the accuracy of MTG's weather prediction.

MTG-S1 will be the first geostationary satellite for atmospheric trace gas sounding over Europe, providing unprecedented data on air quality to government and health organisations.

The satellite hosts the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission, by carrying an Ultraviolet, Visible and Near-Infrared spectrometer which will be used for long-term climate monitoring, and which captures data every hour to monitor air quality and pollution over Europe and North Africa. Sentinel-4's test campaign was led by Airbus Defence and Space, using RAL Space facilities. Here, the teams completed crucial testing and calibration of the instrument.

​The first Sentinel-4 flight model emerging from the test chamber at RAL Space. Credit: RAL Space / Airbus Defence & Space

RAL Space's involvement with Sentinel-4 extends beyond test capabilities, with teams playing a key role in retrieving data once the satellite reaches orbit and participating in the instrument commissioning phase post-launch.

Meanwhile, RAL Space and Airbus are already preparing the second Sentinel-4 flight model for its test and calibration campaign. This instrument will eventually fly on the MTG-S2 satellite, extending the monitoring capabilities into the future.​​​​​

Launch information

You can watch the launch live on ESA Web TV this evening from 20.15 BST. You can find the launch programme below from the ESA website -

Tuesday, 1 July

20:15 Livestream begins

20:20 Welcome speeches, interviews, discussions

22:03 MTG-S1 and Sentinel-4 launch on SpaceX Falcon 9 (launch window: 2 hours)

22:13 Post-launch interviews and discussions

22:35 Separation of MTG-S1 and Sentinel-4

22:37 Acquisition of signal

22:38 Launch success speeches

22:44 Livestream ends ​