MSG 4 (Meteosat 11)

Spacecraft nº:

ESA spacecraft nº: 94

Launch data: Designation  40732 / 15034A Launch date  15 July 2015 - 21:42 UT Launch site  Ko, ELA-3 Launch vehicle  Ariane-5ECA (VA224) Mission  Weather Geostationary orbit: Perigee / Apogee  35784 x 35788 km Eccentricity   Inclination  1.1 ° Period  1436.1 min

Spacecraft data: Prime manufacturer  Alcatel Space Platform   Operator  ESA, EUMETSAT Mass at launch  2000 kg Dry Mass   kg Basic shape   Dimension (m)   Equipment  SERVI, GERB Solar array  Solar cells Stabilization  Spin Stabilized Propulsion  2 x S400 DC power   Design lifetime

Location:

Description:

• MSG 4 is a geostationary weather satellite, the fourth and last of Eumetsat′s Meteosat Second Generation spacecraft made by Thales Alenia Space. The meteorological sentinel is the last in a breed of spin-stabilized satellites made in Europe, a popular design long used for many communications spacecraft until their replacement with more complicated, heavier three-axis stabilized platforms. MSG 4 will go into storage for two-and-a-half years before entering service when aging Meteosat birds are retired. Eumetsat expects MSG 4, which will be renamed Meteosat 11 in the coming months, to operate until at least two third-generation Meteosat platforms are in orbit in the early 2020s.

Mission details:

• Arianespace launched two satellites into geotransfer on Jul 15, 2015. Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) 4 will become Meteosat 11 once in operation with EUMETSAT, the European Meteorological Satellite Organization.
  Star One C4 is a television satellite for the Brazilian operator Embratel Star One.

External links:

• Satellite tracking (n2ya.com): Real time satellite tracking