Web site goes live for Meteosat launch
The European space agency (ESA) has launched a website enabling visitors to follow preparations for the launch of a sophisticated new weather satellite. The Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellites can pinpoint extreme weather events in advance, allowing forecasters to predict phenomena such as hurricanes and severe storms with greater certainty. They are being developed by ESA and the European organisation for the exploitation of meteorological satellites (Eumetsat). The new website, which covers the build up to the launch of the first MSG satellite on 27 August, provides information on all aspects of the mission, from history, objectives and progress through to images, related links and videos of the MSG system. A launch diary allows visitors to follow the progress of MSG-1 through its arrival at the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana and a myriad of pre-launch tests. A special Teaching Weather section also provides details of a range of new ESA educational activities and includes classroom tools for secondary school teachers on the topic of weather.