The GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) series has been a fundamental element of NOAA’s weather monitoring and forecasting system since the launch of SMS-1 in 1974. The GOES system uses geosynchronous equatorial satellites to provide near real-time observations of atmospheric conditions at Earth’s surface and in the atmosphere, day and night.

GOES-R is the next generation of NOAA’s geostationary weather satellites. The GOES-R Program will consist of four satellites, two GOES East and two GOES West, which together will monitor more than half of the planet—from Africa to New Zealand, from near the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle.

Built by Lockheed Martin and based on the A2100 satellite bus, each GOES-R satellite will feature an Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) that scans the Earth’s surface five times faster with three times the number of channels and four times the resolution of previous GOES. In addition, GOES-R will feature an Extreme Ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensor (EXIS) to monitor the Sun’s activity that could impact satellites, high altitude airlines and power grids.

Also GOES-R will carry a Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) transponder, which relays distress signals transmitted by 406 MHz emergency beacons used by planes, ocean-going vessels and people in need of help to the SARSAT Ground Station Network. The GOES-R series will also provide improved full hemispheric coverage and reduced latency.

The onboard Data Collection System (DCS) on GOES satellites collects and relays a variety of environmental data transmissions from remote automatic data collection platforms located at or near the Earth’s surface, which are subsequently retransmitted to NOAA’s regional observing centers. The DCS also relays narrowband WEFAX (Weather Facsimile) data from GOES satellites to small ground-based regional data utilization centers.

GOES-13, which was launched on October 19, carries the ABI instrument that is designed to detect clouds, monitor severe storms and improve hurricane tracking. The ABI imager will scan the Earth’s surface with images as frequent as every 30 seconds, enabling meteorologists to better forecast and communicate severe weather conditions to the public. GOES-13 is the first of the GOES-R series to offer a zoom function that allows users to view and analyze specific regions of interest.

In addition to the ABI and EXIS instruments, GOES-13 will feature a Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Transponder (SARSAT) that transmits distress signals sent by 406 MHz emergency beacons from airplanes, ships and people in need of assistance to the international SARSAT ground system.

The GOES-R program is a collaboration between NOAA and NASA, with NOAA providing the funding, requirements and operations in orbit, and NASA building and launching the spacecrafts. NOAA operates the satellites and distributes the data to the user community, which includes local and national meteorologists, aviation forecasters and the National Weather Service.