MTG-IRS: Status, Specifications and Technical Concept

A special EUMETSAT Council approved on 9 October 2008 the payload complement for the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) satellites. MTG will for the first time carry a hyperspectral InfraRed Sounder (IRS) into a geo-stationary orbit. The IRS concept is that of a Fourier Transform Spectrometer covering two bands (700-1210 and 1600-2175 cm−1) with a spectral sampling of 0.625 cm−1. The IRS will be capable of observing the full disc with a repeat cycle of 60 min and a spatial sampling of 4 km. The launch of the IRS into the geostationary orbit is anticipated by early 2018.