MTG-I2

MTG-I2 is an active satellite operated by ESA (European Space Agency), launched on 2026-08-27 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou on the MTG-I2 launch. As a relatively recent addition to the catalogue, its orbital elements are well-characterised. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 249 km and 35,650 km with an inclination of 6.0°. It travels at approximately 14,574 km/h (4.05 km/s), completing one full orbit every 10 hours 29 minutes — that’s roughly 2.29 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.7278 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks MTG-I2 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

MTG-I2 orbits at an average altitude of 17,950 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. Within ±50 km of MTG-I2’s average altitude, there are currently 1 active payload and 13 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. This is a relatively sparse altitude band, containing less than 1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 6.0°, MTG-I2 passes over latitudes between 6.0°N and 6.0°S, concentrating coverage over equatorial and near-equatorial regions. Low-inclination orbits maximise revisit rates over specific tropical zones. ESA (European Space Agency) operates approximately 82 active satellites in total.