This satellite is intended to improve the weather forecast in Switzerland

A new weather satellite is expected to launch from the Kourou Cosmodrome in French Guiana on Tuesday evening. It should ensure more accurate thunderstorm forecasts – also in Switzerland.

The satellite is the first of six new European weather satellites in the Meteosat Third Generation MTG series, which are intended to enable significantly more accurate weather forecasting. According to the European Weather Satellite Agency (Eumetsat) website, the new satellites can provide Earth observations with greater range, resolution and frequency. Meteorologists therefore expect to be able to better recognize storm clouds in the future and to better estimate their lifespan.

Lightning measurements by satellite should also be possible for Europe and the surrounding seas for the first time. By providing more detailed information on current weather conditions, MTG will also help improve the accuracy of longer-term forecasts.

To take advantage of these advantages of the new satellite, upgrades must also be made on the ground. It is estimated that the volume of available weather data will increase tenfold, a government statement in May said. Switzerland is making a decisive contribution here: in May, Federal Councilor Alain Berset inaugurated a new ground reception station in Leuk USA.

With three 6.5-metre antennas and the latest technological standards, the station will receive massive amounts of weather information every minute when the first satellite is launched and transmit it to Eumetstat in Darmstadt, Germany.

The satellites are managed by the 30 member states of Eumetsat. This includes Switzerland. The full MTG program is planned to be launched by 2035 and provide data into the 2040s. In total, it will cost more than three billion euros. Switzerland contributes 3.5 percent of that. (sda)