Geostationary weather satellites

Below are checklists of Geostationary weather satellites, including launch dates and images of the satellites. 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 (sketch) ATS-1 (sketch) 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 ATS-6 (sketch)

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-G GOES-6 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	2025-?	MTG-S MTG-S
MTG-S2 / Meteosat-16 / Sentinel-4B	2035-?

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 (3rd generation)	2014-10-07	Himawari-8 Himawari-8/9 type	Himawari	Himawari
Himawari-9 (3rd generation)	2016-11-02
Himawari-10 (4th generation)	2028-?

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 / Chollian-1	2010-06-26	COMS	Geo-Kompsat / Chollian	Geo-Kompsat / Chollian
Geo-Kompsat-2A (GK-2A) / Chollian-2A	2018-12-04	Geo-Kompsat-2A Geo-Kompsat-2A
Geo-Kompsat-2B (GK-2B) / Chollian-2B	2020-02-18	Geo-Kompsat-2B
Geo-Kompsat-3 (GK-3) / Chollian-3	2027-?

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