EUMETSAT has released the first images from the Flexible Combined Imager aboard Meteosat Third Generation Imager 2 (MTG-I2), launched on 27 August 2026. A full-disc image captured on 20 October from geostationary orbit about 36,000 kilometres above Earth shows cloud bands over northern Europe and the North Atlantic, alongside clearer skies over the Sahara. A rapid-scan animation records conditions over Europe and northern Africa at 2.5-minute intervals across 45 hours beginning on 3 November. It shows persistent fog and low clouds over central Europe, Mediterranean convective clouds developing, Atlantic cloud layers moving in opposite directions, and smoke from a wildfire in central Portugal.
The images preview MTG-I2’s planned service: high-resolution observations of Europe every 2.5 minutes, giving forecasters a much closer view of rapidly changing weather. Tracking storm development could help improve the timing and precision of warnings for heavy rain, hail, strong winds and flash floods, while also supporting emergency responses to events such as wildfires. The satellite was transferred to EUMETSAT’s Mission Control Centre on 9 September and is still undergoing calibration and validation with the European Space Agency and European industry. Operational service is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2027. EUMETSAT operates the satellite from Darmstadt; it was developed by ESA with Thales Alenia Space as the prime contractor.
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