After 15 years of development, Europe’s latest Meteosat satellite has begun returning its first data.
Known as Meteosat Third Generation-Sounder, or MTG-S, the spacecraft is designed to measure temperature and humidity throughout the atmosphere, creating a new type of meteorological dataset for Europe.
ESA presented the first images publicly at the European Space Conference in Brussels. They were captured on 15th November 2025 by the satellite’s Infrared Sounder instrument, operating from geostationary orbit around 36,000 km above Earth.
Seeing Temperature Without Seeing Clouds
Among the first results is a global temperature dataset derived from long-wave infrared measurements. Instead of showing visible cloud patterns, the data represent surface heat and cloud-top temperatures.
In this view, warmer regions appear in red and cooler areas in blue. High temperatures dominate large landmasses, while colder values mark the tops of cloud systems.
The contrast highlights how the instrument separates heat emitted by the surface from conditions higher in the atmosphere.
Mapping Moisture Patterns Across the Globe
MTG-S has also returned early humidity data using a medium-wave infrared channel. In these images, blue colours indicate higher atmospheric humidity, while red shows drier air.
Land boundaries disappear in this dataset. Instead, broad moisture structures fill the image.
Very dry regions appear over areas such as the Sahara and the Middle East, while patches of higher humidity stretch across parts of Africa and both high and low latitudes.
Europe in Closer Detail
A regional view focusing on Europe and northern Africa combines surface and cloud-top temperature measurements.
Heat from the African continent dominates the southern part of the image, while cooler cloud systems extend across parts of southern Europe, including the Iberian Peninsula. The Italian peninsula sits near the centre of this view.
These regional datasets demonstrate how MTG-S repeatedly observes the same area as Earth rotates beneath it.
Following a Volcanic Eruption
Data from the satellite have also been used to observe the eruption of Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano on 23 November 2025. In this case, infrared channels highlighted the evolving ash plume, while background imagery showed changes in surface temperature.
ESA says this example illustrates how the mission can monitor rapidly changing atmospheric events.
A First for Europe in Geostationary Orbit
The Infrared Sounder on MTG-S is the first European hyperspectral sounding instrument placed in geostationary orbit. It uses interferometric techniques to analyse approximately 1,700 infrared channels.
These measurements capture information on temperature and humidity and are intended to support the future generation of three-dimensional atmospheric data products.
“This satellite has been 15 years in development and will revolutionise weather forecasting and especially nowcasting,” said James Champion, MTG Project Manager at the European Space Agency.
