Soon after launch into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) by the Ariane-5 launcher, the ESA's Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt will perform Launch and Early Obit Phase (LEOP) activities on behalf of EUMETSAT. This entails a series of very specialised manoeuvres to bring it from its elliptical orbit into geostationary orbit at 36,000 km above the Earth. MSG will be the 50th launch activity directed from ESA's main control room in Darmstadt.