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METEOSAT-9 (MSG-2)

Meteosat-9 is part of Europe's second-generation Meteosat geostationary weather system. From geostationary orbit it provided frequent imagery supporting forecasting, storm monitoring and climate records.

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Object identity

NORAD ID
28912
COSPAR ID
2005-049B
Operator
Not listed
Country
Not listed
Launch date
Not listed

Immediate discovery

Why this satellite matters

Its rapid repeating scans help meteorologists estimate atmospheric motion by tracking cloud and moisture features between images.

Understanding the mission

Science and engineering ideas

Its rapid repeating scans help meteorologists estimate atmospheric motion by tracking cloud and moisture features between images.

Mission

Mission and purpose

Weather spacecraft carry instruments that observe Earth and its atmosphere in visible, infrared, microwave, or other wavelengths. Different orbits provide either repeated regional views or broad global coverage.

  • Its rapid repeating scans help meteorologists estimate atmospheric motion by tracking cloud and moisture features between images.

Design

Engineering

Its rapid repeating scans help meteorologists estimate atmospheric motion by tracking cloud and moisture features between images.

Real orbital values

The mathematics

The current two-line element set reports approximately 1.0028 revolutions per day. Dividing 1,440 minutes by that value gives an estimated orbital period of 1,436 minutes.

Period

1,436 min

Representative speed

11,069 km/h

Representative altitude

35,793 km

Inclination

9.56°

These are representative calculations derived from current orbital elements, not fixed physical specifications. Altitude and speed change around an elliptical orbit, and predictions change as new orbital elements are published.

Launch record

Launch and deployment

MSG-2, later Meteosat-9, launched on 21 December 2005 aboard an Ariane 5 from Kourou.

TransitSatellite does not estimate historical launch weather. Temperature, clouds, wind, holds, and scrub reasons will appear only when supported by traceable historical sources.

Orbit

GEO orbit explained

A geosynchronous satellite takes about one sidereal day to orbit Earth. A circular equatorial geostationary satellite appears to remain near one longitude in the sky.

GEO is valuable when continuous coverage of a broad region matters, although the great distance increases signal delay and reduces image detail compared with lower orbits.

Live TransitSatellite experience

See METEOSAT-9 (MSG-2) moving now

Open the live tracker to view its current calculated position, trajectory, orbital information, visibility tools, and Save and Share controls.

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Learning

Questions to explore

  • Why can infrared instruments observe clouds at night?
  • What is the difference between continuous regional coverage and global coverage?

Evidence

Sources and data notes

Current identity and orbital elements come from CelesTrak’s public GP data. Calculated orbit values are derived from the current TLE and may change after catalog updates. Mission-history claims are added separately and require authoritative sources.

Catalog updated

Sep 17, 2026, 1:04 AM UTC

Story review

1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z