MSG-1

Spacecraft nº:

US spacecraft nº: 49

Launch data: Designation 27509 / 02040B Launch date 28 Aug 2002 - 22:45 UT Launch site Ko, ELA-3 Launch vehicle Ariane-5G (V155 / #513) Mission Meteorology Geostationary orbit: Perigee / Apogee   km Eccentricity   Inclination  ° Period   min Location 10.5°W

Spacecraft data:

The cylinder-shaped MSG 1 satellite will provide improved global weather data for Europe as a follow-on to the Meteosat spacecraft series, which were launched by Ariane beginning in 1977. MSG 1 is a spin-stabilized platform built by Alcatel Space Industries for a cooperative program of the European Space Agency and EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites).

MSG-1 is lowered in place atop the Ariane 5 in this photo taken high inside the launcher final assembly building. The spin-stabilized meteorological satellite next will be covered by the Sylda C - on which Atlantic BirdTM 1 is installed.

Description:

• Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) is a joint project between ESA and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and follows up the success of the first generation Meteosat weather satellite series with a larger design boasting higher performance. The first in a planned series of MSG satellites was launched in 2002, entering into service with EUMETSAT in early 2004 and now renamed Meteosat-8.
• The 2,000 kg. MSG-1 is the first of Europe's new generation weather satellites. Developed and co-financed by the European Space Agency, MSG-1 was built by Alcatel Space for operation by Eumetsat.

Mission details:

• Lifting off from the Spaceport's ELA-3 launch complex, the Ariane 5 carried Atlantic Bird 1 for Italian manufacturer Alenia Spazio on behalf of telecom operator Eutelsat, along with the MSG-1 meteorological spacecraft for the Eumetsat weather organization.
• Flight 155 demonstrated Ariane 5's capability to match up all types of satellites on a single, cost-effective launch.
• Flight 155 had been delayed one day following a launch hold because of an indication of a computer dialog problem between the ground control network and Ariane 5's on-board computers.
• On Flight 155, Atlantic BirdTM 1 rode in the upper payload position and was released approximately 28 minutes into the mission, followed eight minutes later by deployment of the MSG-1 spacecraft.
• Meteosat-8 has been operating nominally, with no spacecraft behavioural anomalies reported. De-contamination of the SEVIRI instrument optics was perfomed at the beginning of 2005, followed by an east/west station-keeping/spin-rate manoeuvre on 8 Feb 2005. The instrument's performance remains excellent.
  See Meteosat program
  

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel Kourou