NASA News & Updates: NOAA's Advanced Satelite GOES-R Launches Succesfully; Move To Revolutionize Weather Forecasting

NASA effectively launched for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the GOES-R (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R), first in a series of exceedingly progressed geostationary climate satellites from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

"The launch of GOES-R represents a major step forward in terms of our ability to provide more timely and accurate information that is critical for life-saving weather forecasts and warnings," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "It also continues a decades-long partnership between NASA and NOAA to successfully build and launch geostationary environmental satellites."

After it achieves its last assigned orbit in the following two weeks, GOES-R will be renamed GOES-16. The new satellite will get to be operational in a year, subsequent to experiencing a checkout and approval of its six new instruments, including the principal operational lightning mapper in geostationary orbit.

Forecasters will utilize the lightning mapper to focus on storms that speak to the best dangers. The satellite's essential instrument, the Advanced Baseline Imager, will give sharper images of Earth's climate, seas, and environment with 16 different wavelengths, including two visible channels, four near-infrared channels, and 10 infrared stations.

While GOES-R will educate us all the more concerning the atmosphere of Earth, the satellite is likewise prepared to give us more data about what our Sun is up to too. In particular, the test will have the capacity to quantify the force of solar flares, which are in charge of bringing about "space weather" around Earth.

"The next generation of weather satellites is finally here," said NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan. "GOES-R will strengthen NOAA's ability to issue life-saving forecasts and warnings and make the United States an even stronger, more resilient weather-ready nation."

Following quite a while of testing, this satellite will assume control for one of the more established ones, with the second satellite in the series to follow in 2018.