With Ariane 6, Arianespace successfully launches Metop-SGA1 satellite
13.08.2025
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 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 VA264 launch at a glance:
- 355th launch by Arianespace
- 3rd Ariane 6 launch and 2nd commercial flight
- 15th satellite launched by Arianespace for EUMETSAT
- 151st spacecraft built by Airbus Defence and Space launched by Arianespace
- 21st meteorological satellite launched by Arianespace