A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched the Eumetsat MTG-S1 mission to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center at 5:04 p.m. on 1 July 2025. Following stage separation, Falcon 9's first stage landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

This will be the ninth flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-9, RRT-1, Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1, Fram2, SXM-10, and three Starlink missions.

MTG-S1 is the first geostationary meteorological sounder satellite to fly over Europe and carries two key missions: the Infrared Sounder and the European Union’s Copernicus Sentinel-4 Ultraviolet Visible Near-infrared spectrometer.

Applause broke out at EUMETSAT headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, as staff, guests, and media watched a live stream of the satellite separating from its launcher and continuing its journey into orbit. Tension turned to celebration as confirmation arrived that the satellite had contacted ground control, deployed its solar panels, and was on course for geostationary orbit – some 36,000 km above the equator.

With power and communications established, MTG-S1 entered its Launch and Early Operations Phase, during which engineers are activating systems and guiding it to its geostationary orbital position. From this position, aligned with Earth’s rotation, MTG-S1 will maintain an uninterrupted view of Europe, Africa, and surrounding regions.

MTG-S1’s Infrared Sounder will scan nearly 2,000 thermal infrared wavelengths every 30 minutes to build vertical profiles of temperature, humidity, and trace gases. These data will be crucial for detecting fast-developing convective weather by revealing sudden shifts in instability, moisture, or wind – even before clouds begin to form.

Combined with imagery from MTG’s imager satellites, it will offer a continuous view of a storm’s full life cycle, from early instability through to lightning and dissipation. The observations made by MTG-S1 will also enhance very-short-range forecasts called nowcasts, daily forecasts, improve models linking weather, air quality, and climate, and support long-term climate monitoring.

The Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission is expected to provide hourly data on pollutants and aerosols – including from wildfires and volcanic eruptions – that will enable specialists to monitor emissions, enhance air quality forecasts, support public health and environmental policy. Copernicus is the Earth Observation component of the European Union Space Programme.

Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programmes at ESA, said: “These two ground breaking missions are set to change the way we forecast both severe weather and the quality of air over Europe. It is thanks to the outstanding work our teams have done with EUMETSAT, the European Commission and dozens of European industry partners, that we are able to now look forward to more accurate and timely ways of predicting storm events and air pollution.”

Christoph Kautz, Director for Space Policy, Earth Observation and Satellite Navigation at the European Commission said: “I warmly congratulate everyone involved in the launch of MTG-S1 and Copernicus Sentinel-4, which will vastly enhance Europe’s ability to monitor the atmosphere from space. This achievement is a powerful example of how European cooperation can provide vital data in support of services such as the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service that protect public health, strengthen environmental monitoring, and improve lives across Europe.”