The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites – R Series (GOES-R) is NOAA’s most advanced weather-observing system. It provides critical atmospheric, hydrologic, oceanographic, climatic and solar data, significantly improving detection of phenomena that directly affect public safety, protection of property and the United States’ economic health and prosperity. The GOES-R program is a collaborative development and acquisition effort between NOAA and NASA.
GOES satellites are constantly monitoring the atmosphere for the atmospheric “triggers” that can lead to severe weather conditions such as tornadoes, thunderstorms, hurricanes, flash floods, and winter snow storms. They also provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements, real-time mapping of lightning activity, and monitoring of space weather.
Since 1975, NOAA’s GOES satellites have provided continuous imagery and data on atmospheric conditions and solar activity (space weather). These observations led to more accurate and timely weather forecasts and have helped save lives by providing search and rescue information for people in distress.
GOES satellites orbit 22,236 miles above Earth in a geosynchronous plane at a speed that matches the Earth’s rotation. This allows the satellites to hover continuously over a fixed geographic location, offering high-resolution, continuous monitoring. The GOES-U satellite, which launched on 25 June 2018, will replace the GOES-16 satellite after a thorough checkout and validation of its instruments and a period of time to stabilize in orbit.
Each GOES satellite has two primary payload instruments: the Imager and the Sounder. The Imager observes infrared and visible reflected solar energy from the surface of the Earth, clouds, and atmosphere. It also monitors the thermal structure of clouds and the distribution of moisture, ozone, and water vapor in the atmosphere. The Sounder measures vertical atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles, as well as the distribution of ice and snow cover on the ground.
During severe events, GOES satellites may be activated to take additional imagery or other data. Typically, the GOES satellites operate according to pre-programmed schedules that are designed for specific applications. However, during significant events the normal schedules can be adjusted by NOAA’s Satellite Operations Control Center in Suitland, Maryland.
A ten-minute full disk scanning capability is a major improvement over current capabilities and will allow meteorologists at NOAA’s National Weather Service to rapidly monitor hazardous weather conditions and respond quickly to aviation safety concerns, such as ash plumes from volcanic eruptions. The increased temporal cadence will also assist with the tracking of rapidly changing conditions such as cyclones or ocean swells.
The images hosted on the GOES STAR webservers, including the GOES Image Viewer are not official NOAA operational products and should only be used by remote sensing researchers or experienced meteorologists. Please read the GOES STAR User Manual for further information.