14 DAY TRIAL // Officials at the European Space Agency (ESA) announce that they are ready to support the launch of the third Meteosat Second Generation (MSG-3) spacecraft. Takeoff is currently scheduled to occur tomorrow, July 5, from the Kourou Spaceport, in French Guiana, South America.
ESA contracted the delivery services to French company Arianespace, which will use an Ariane 5 rocket to carry the 2,000-kilogram (4,410-pound) vehicle to space. It will take a total of 34 minutes from the moment of launch until mission controllers start in-orbit validation and maneuvering.
The launch and early orbit phase (LOEP) of the mission will be handled by the ESA European Space Operations Center (ESOC), in Darmstadt, Germany. MSG-3 will benefit from tracking support provided by stations in French Guiana, Spain, Australia and Kenya.
The space agency develops these meteorological satellites for the European Commission, in collaboration with the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).