ESA - S. Corvaja
With Ariane 6, Arianespace Successfully Launches Metop-SGA1 Satellite (Press Release - August 13)
On August 12, 2025 at 9:37 p.m. local time in Kourou, French Guiana (00:37 a.m. UTC, 2:37 a.m. CEST, on August 13), Ariane 6 lifted off from Europe's Spaceport carrying EUMETSAT's Metop-SGA1 satellite.
With this second commercial flight, Ariane 6, the new European heavy-lift launcher operated by Arianespace, successfully placed Metop-SGA1 into a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an altitude of 800 km. Spacecraft separation occurred 1 hour and 4 minutes after lift-off.
A few minutes after separation, EUMETSAT successfully acquired signals from the satellite.
David Cavaillolès, CEO of Arianespace, declared: "Tonight, Arianespace has successfully launched EUMETSAT's Metop-SGA1 satellite, on board Ariane 6. The first of the next generation of European polar-orbiting weather satellites, Metop-SGA1 notably hosts the Copernicus programme Sentinel-5 atmospheric monitoring mission. This success pinpoints our dedication to ensuring Europe's autonomous and reliable access to space while also supporting an ambitious environmental mission that will provide cutting-edge data for weather and climate monitoring.
"Ariane 6's second commercial launch marks a significant milestone in our journey. We extend our gratitude to EUMETSAT and to all our partners across Europe for their trust and collaboration, driving Arianespace to deliver the utmost excellence."
"The success of this second commercial launch confirms the performance, reliability and precision of Ariane 6. Once again, the new European heavy-lift launcher meets Europe's needs, ensuring sovereign access to space," said Martin Sion, CEO of ArianeGroup. "The next rockets are well advanced in production thanks to the teams to whom I express my gratitude for their unwavering commitment.
"This demonstrates the ramp up taking place in ArianeGroup's plants and those of our industrial partners."
Phil Evans, Director-General of EUMETSAT, commented: “Extreme weather has cost Europe hundreds of billions of euros and tens of thousands of lives over the past 40 years—storms like Boris, Daniel and Hans, record heatwaves and fierce wildfires are just the latest reminders. The launch of Metop-SGA1 is a major step forward in giving national weather services in our member states sharper tools to save lives, protect property, and build resilience against the climate crisis. These positive impacts will be felt even beyond that and over the Atlantic, as Metop-SGA1 is Europe's first contribution to the Joint Polar System with NOAA.
"This milestone reflects years of teamwork across EUMETSAT, ESA, the EU, CNES, DLR, Airbus, Thales Alenia Space and many others. This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter as we work to ensure the satellite settles into orbit and starts delivering the vital data it was built to provide.”
For this second commercial mission, the Ariane 6 vehicle was in the two-booster Ariane 62 configuration with a short fairing.
Ariane 6 is a program developed within the framework of the European Space Agency (ESA). As prime contractor and design authority for the launcher, ArianeGroup is responsible for development and production alongside its industrial partners. Ariane 6 is marketed and operated by Arianespace.
The Metop-SGA1 (Second Generation A1) satellite will be the first of the next generation of European polar-orbiting weather satellites. Metop-SGA1 will host a total of six atmospheric sounding and imaging instrument missions that will provide optical, infrared and microwave observations-essential data for weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and a wide range of other services and applications. Amongst its hosts, Metop-SGA1 will carry the new Sentinel-5 atmospheric monitoring mission, part of the European Commission's Copernicus programme.
The spacecraft was built by Airbus Defence and Space, under a contract with the European Space Agency, and will be operated throughout its lifetime by EUMETSAT, which will also distribute its data to users.
Source: Arianespace
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ESA - M. Pédoussaut
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