Geostationary weather satellites

Below are checklists of Geostationary weather satellites, including launch dates and images of the satellites. This is a work in progress, and completeness is our goal. If readers know of additional information or images, please contact the authors using the e-mail addresses at the bottom of this page.

Satellite series covered:

USA Applications Technology Satellite (ATS) series:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
ATS-1 (ATS-B)	1966-12-07	ATS-1 ATS-1/3 type ATS-1/3 type ATS-1/3 type	ATS	ATS
ATS-2 (ATS-A)	1967-04-06	ATS-2 ATS-2/4/5 type ATS-2/4/5 type ATS-2/4/5 type
ATS-3 (ATS-C)	1967-11-05	ATS-3 ATS-3 ATS-1/3 type ATS-1/3 type ATS-1/3 type
ATS-4 (ATS-D) [partial failure]	1968-08-10	ATS-2/4/5 type ATS-2/4/5 type ATS-2/4/5 type ATS-4 ATS-4 ATS-4 ATS-4/5 type ATS-5 (newspaper article) ATS-5 (newspaper article)
ATS-5 (ATS-E)	1969-08-12
ATS-6 (ATS-F)	1974-05-30	ATS-6 ATS-6

USA Synchronous Meteorological Satellite (SMS) series:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
SMS-1 (SMS-A)	1974-05-17	SMS-1 SMS/GOES-1/3 type SMS/GOES-1/3 type SMS/GOES-1/3 type	SMS	SMS and GOES
SMS-2 (SMS-B)	1975-02-06	SMS-2

USA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) series:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
GOES-1 (GOES-A / SMS-C)	1975-10-16	GOES-1	GOES	SMS and GOES
GOES-2 (GOES-B)	1977-06-16
GOES-3 (GOES-C)	1978-06-16
GOES-4 (GOES-D)	1980-09-09	GOES-4/7 type GOES-G GOES-7 GOES-7 GOES-7
GOES-5 (GOES-E)	1981-05-22
GOES-6 (GOES-F)	1983-04-28
GOES-G [failed]	1986-05-03
GOES-7 (GOES-H) / GEOSAR	1987-02-26
GOES-8 (GOES-I) / GEOSAR	1994-04-13	GOES-8 GOES-8 GOES-8/12 type GOES-8/12 type GOES-8/12 type GOES-8/12 type GOES-I/M type (patch) GOES-I/M type (patch, back) GOES-L+M type (patch) GOES-L+M type (patch, back) GOES-L+M type (patch) GOES-L+M type (patch, back)
GOES-9 (GOES-J) / GEOSAR	1995-05-23
GOES-10 (GOES-K) / GEOSAR	1997-04-25
GOES-11 (GOES-L) / GEOSAR	2000-05-03
GOES-12 (GOES-M) / GEOSAR	2001-07-23
GOES-13 (GOES-N) / GEOSAR / now EWS-G1	2006-05-24	GOES-13 GOES-13 GOES-N series (patch) GOES-N series (patch) GOES-N series (patch, back) GOES-N/Q type (patch) GOES-N/Q type (patch, back)
GOES-14 (GOES-O) / GEOSAR	2009-06-27	GOES-O (patch) GOES-O (patch) GOES-O (patch, back)
GOES-15 (GOES-P) / GEOSAR / now EWS-G2	2010-03-04	GOES-P (patch) GOES-P (patch, back)
GOES-Q	Canceled (never built)
GOES-16 (GOES-R)	2016-11-20	GOES-R GOES-R GOES-R (patch) GOES-R (patch) GOES-R (patch) GOES/ABI (patch)
GOES-17 (GOES-S)	2018-03-01	GOES-S (patch)
GOES-18 (GOES-T)	2022-03-01	GOES-T (patch) GOES-T (patch) GOES-T (passport stamp)
GOES-19 (GOES-U)	2024-06-25	GOES-U (patch)

European (Eumetsat) METEOrological SATellite (Meteosat) series:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
Meteosat-1 (Meteosat-A)	1977-11-22	Meteosat Meteosat Meteosat Meteosat (not "MSG") Meteosat-1 (newspaper article)	Meteosat	Meteosat
Meteosat-2 (Meteosat-B)	1981-06-19
Meteosat-3 (Meteosat-P2)	1988-06-15	Meteosat-3
Meteosat-4 (MOP-1)	1989-03-06	Meteosat-4 Meteosat-4
Meteosat-5 (MOP-2)	1991-03-02	Meteosat-5
Meteosat-6 (MOP-3)	1993-11-20
Meteosat-7 (MTP)	1997-09-02	Meteosat-7 Meteosat-7

European (Eumetsat) Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) series:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
MSG-1 / Meteosat-8 / GEOSAR	2002-08-28	MSG MSG (patch)	MSG	MSG
MSG-2 / Meteosat-9 / GEOSAR	2005-12-21
MSG-3 / Meteosat-10 / GEOSAR	2012-05-07
MSG-4 / Meteosat-11 / GEOSAR	2015-07-15

European (Eumetsat) Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) series:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
MTG-I1 / Meteosat-12	2022-12-13	MTG-I MTG-I	MTG	MTG
MTG-I2 / Meteosat-14	2025-?
MTG-I2 / Meteosat-15	2026-?
MTG-I2 / Meteosat-17	2031-?
MTG-S1 / Meteosat-13 / Sentinel-4A	2024-?	MTG-S MTG-S
MTG-S2 / Meteosat-16 / Sentinel-4B	2034-?

Japanese Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS) / Himawari series:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
GMS-1 / Himawari-1	1977-07-14	GMS GMS GMS GMS GMS-1 GMS-1	GMS / Himawari	GMS / Himawari
GMS-2 / Himawari-2	1981-08-10	GMS-2
GMS-3 / Himawari-3	1984-08-03
GMS-4 / Himawari-4	1989-09-06
GMS-5 / Himawari-5	1995-03-18	GMS-5

Japanese Multi-functional Transport Satellite (MTSat) / Himawari (continued) series:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
MTSat-1 [failed]	1999-11-15	MTSat MTSat-1	MTSat / Himawari	MTSat / Himawari
MTSat-1R / Himawari-6	2005-02-26
MTSat-2 / Himawari-7	2006-02-18	MTSat-2

Japanese Himawari (continued, non-GMS and non-MTSat) series:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
Himawari-8	2014-10-07	Himawari-8 Himawari-8/9 type	Himawari	Himawari
Himawari-9	2016-11-02

Indian (ISRO) National SATellite (Insat) series [with meteorological instrumentation]:

In addition to their communications function, a subset of the Insat series carried remote-sensing equipment that allowed them to act as weather satellites. (The [complete] Insat series is found in the communications satellites page.)

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
Insat-1A	1982-04-10	Insat Insat-1 Insat-1A	Insat [with meteorological instrumentation]	Insat [with meteorological instrumentation]
Insat-1B [STS-8/Challenger-deployed]	1983-08-30
Insat-1C	1988-07-21
Insat-1D	1990-06-12	Insat-1D (newspaper article)
Insat-2A / SARSAT	1992-07-09	Insat-2 Insat-2 Insat-2A
Insat-2B / SARSAT	1993-07-22
Insat-2E / Intelsat-APR-2	1999-04-03	Insat-2E
Insat-3A / SARSAT	2003-04-09	Insat-3A
Insat-3C	2002-01-23	Insat-3C
Insat-3D [meteorological only] / SARSAT	2013-07-25	Insat-3D
Insat-3DR [meteorological only]	2016-09-08	Insat-3DR
Insat-3DS [meteorological only]	2024-02-17

Indian (ISRO) METeorological SATellite (MetSat) / Kalpana:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
MetSat-1 / Kalpana-1	2002-09-12	MetSat-1	MetSat	MetSat

Russian Geostationary Operational Meteorological Satellite (GOMS) / Elektro series:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
GOMS-1 / Elektro-1 / GEOSAR	1994-10-31	Elektro-1 Elektro GOMS GOMS	GOMS / Elektro	GOMS / Elektro
Elektro-L1 / GEOSAR	2011-01-20	Elektro-L
Elektro-L2	2015-12-11	Elektro-L2
Elektro-L3	2019-12-24
Elektro-L4	2023-02-05
Elektro-L5	202x

China/PRC Feng Yun (FY-2 and FY-4) geostationary satellites:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
first FY-2A [accident/explosion]	1994-04-02		FY-2	FY-2
FY-2A	1997-06-10	FY-2A (+ FY-1)
FY-2B	2000-06-25	FY-2B
FY-2C	2004-10-19
FY-2D	2006-12-08
FY-2E	2008-12-23
FY-2F	2012-01-13
FY-2G	2014-12-31
FY-2H	2018-06-05
FY-4A	2016-12-10	FY-4 FY-4A	FY-4	FY-4
FY-4B	2021-06-02
FY-4C	202x

GEOstationary KOrea Multi-Purpose SATellite (Geo-Kompsat / GK) series:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
COMS / Geo-Kompsat-1 / Cheollian-1	2010-06-26	COMS	Geo-Kompsat / Cheollian	Geo-Kompsat / Cheollian
Geo-Kompsat-2A (GK-2A) / Cheollian-2A	2018-12-04	Geo-Kompsat-2A Geo-Kompsat-2A
Geo-Kompsat-2B (GK-2B) / Cheollian-2B	2020-02-18	Geo-Kompsat-2B

Back to Un-manned Satellite Philately.