![](\"http:\/\/www.esa.int\/var\/esa\/storage\/images\/esa_multimedia\/images\/2015\/07\/msg-4_completes_leop\/15536145-1-eng-GB\/MSG-4_completes_LEOP_small.jpg\")
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\nAt mid-day on 26 July, ESA formally handed control of Europe\u2019s last Meteosat Second Generation weather satellite, MSG-4, to Eumetsat, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.\n<\/p>\n
\nMSG-4 had been operated from ESA\u2019s European Space Operations Centre, ESOC, in Darmstadt, Germany, since it separated from an Ariane rocket shortly after launch on 15 July.\n<\/p>\n
\nA team of operations engineers, software and ground station specialists and flight dynamics experts worked round the clock to shepherd the satellite through its first dozen days in space \u2013 the critical launch and early orbit phase \u2013 on Eumetsat\u2019s behalf.\n<\/p>\n
\nDuring this period, the satellite was moved into geostationary orbit and various elements of its platform were activated and checked. This included critical manoeuvres such as firing the apogee thrusters, changing the satellite\u2019s orientation and unlocking the camera\u2019s scan mirror.\n<\/p>\n
\nIn this photo, taken Friday, 24 July, the mission control team gathered in the Main Control Room at ESOC to celebrate adding \u2018MSG-4\u2019 to the mission history wall.\n<\/p>\n
\nNow in its planned geostationary<\/a> slot some 36 000 km above Europe, MSG-4 will go through payload commissioning to serve as the in-orbit \u2018hot backup\u2019 to its three sibling satellites, MSG-1 to -3. All are used for weather forecasting, and play a crucial role in \u2018nowcasting\u2019 high-impact weather events and climate research.\n<\/p>\n \nThey are operated by Eumetsat, with ESA responsible for their design, development and in-orbit delivery.\n<\/p>\n \nMore information\n<\/p>\n \nMeteosat Second Generation<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \nESOC<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \nEumetsat<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \t\t\t\t\t \nAt mid-day on 26 July, ESA formally handed control of Europe\u2019s last Meteosat Second Generation weather satellite, MSG-4, to Eumetsat, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.\n<\/p>\n \nMSG-4 had been operated from ESA\u2019s European Space Operations Centre, ESOC, in Darmstadt, Germany, since it separated from an Ariane rocket shortly after launch on 15 July.\n<\/p>\n \nA team of operations engineers, software and ground station specialists and flight dynamics experts worked round the clock to shepherd the satellite through its first dozen days in space \u2013 the critical launch and early orbit phase \u2013 on Eumetsat\u2019s behalf.\n<\/p>\n \nDuring this period, the satellite was moved into geostationary orbit and various elements of its platform were activated and checked. This included critical manoeuvres such as firing the apogee thrusters, changing the satellite\u2019s orientation and unlocking the camera\u2019s scan mirror.\n<\/p>\n \nIn this photo, taken Friday, 24 July, the mission control team gathered in the Main Control Room at ESOC to celebrate adding \u2018MSG-4\u2019 to the mission history wall.\n<\/p>\n \nNow in its planned geostationary<\/a> slot some 36 000 km above Europe, MSG-4 will go through payload commissioning to serve as the in-orbit \u2018hot backup\u2019 to its three sibling satellites, MSG-1 to -3. All are used for weather forecasting, and play a crucial role in \u2018nowcasting\u2019 high-impact weather events and climate research.\n<\/p>\n \nThey are operated by Eumetsat, with ESA responsible for their design, development and in-orbit delivery.\n<\/p>\n \nMore information\n<\/p>\n \nMeteosat Second Generation<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n