27 Aug 2026

The Meteosat Third Generation Imager2 satellite (MTG-I2) has been encapsulated inside the Ariane 6 fairing and is in place on its launch pad. It is scheduled to lift off on Thursday evening, 27 August, from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

The encapsulation took place with the two halves of the fairing already firmly fixed together, and the cone then lowered over the MTG-I2 satellite. This upper segment of the rocket, with MTG-I2 inside, was then hoisted on top of the rocket, which is already standing vertically on the launch pad inside the Mobile Gantry. All is now in place for launch. Before liftoff, the Mobile Gantry will be rolled away from the launch pad, leaving the Ariane 6 launcher and its important passenger ready for countdown.

[Image]

(A) MTG-I2 hoisted onto launch vehicle adapter

(B) MTG-I2 meets its fairing

(C) MTG-I2 positioned on payload transporter

(D) MTG-I2 undergoes a series of tests at cleanroom in Cannes