Representatives from 16 European nations filed into the headquarters of the European Space Agency in Paris. Their Council meeting proved historic – they decided to officially launch EUMETSAT that very day.
Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom were the first countries to become EUMETSAT member states.
EUMETSAT set up its first headquarters in a 1970s villa in a residential area of Darmstadt, Germany, and began to recruit its first 10 staff. The building was to become the organisation's first base for the next nine years.
EUMETSAT joined the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites and became its permanent secretariat, representing CGMS members in international bodies such as the WMO Congress and Executive Council.
Less than six months after it was founded, EUMETSAT took over the operational management of Meteosat satellites from the European Space Agency. This transfer ensured the long-term continuity of meteorological services for Europe.
First EUMETSAT Director John Morgan produced a forward-thinking plan that was then endorsed at the fifth Council meeting in September. This positioned EUMETSAT to become a major player in the meteorological satellite sector.
The EUMETSAT Council approved cooperation arrangements with two major entities, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
Launched on an Ariane V22 rocket, Meteosat-3 was the last of the pre-operational satellites in the series. Once in orbit, it was immediately pressed into service, as Meteosat-2's fuel was fast running out.
When the GOES-6 imager stopped working, the US asked if the ‘spare’ Meteosat-3 could be moved to cover America’s East coast. The proposal was discussed at EUMETSAT Council, prompting closer collaboration with international partners.
Another important milestone for the agency, with the launch of Meteosat-4 - the first operational satellite owned and operated by EUMETSAT.