With a mission to monitor the Earth’s weather from geostationary orbit, goes are NOAA’s eyes and ears in the sky. They provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements, real-time mapping of lightning activity, and improved monitoring of solar activity and space weather.
Launched on March 30, 2016, GOES-S is now located in a geostationary orbit 35,786 km above the Earth at 75o W longitude (GOES East). The satellite’s solar arrays were deployed and it is operating on its own power. After a successful completion of its initial checkout and validation, GOES-S will be renamed GOES-17 and become operational later this year.
The satellite carries six high-tech instruments, two of which are new to the GOES series. The EPS and HEPAD sensors are designed to detect very high energy protons and alpha particles, respectively, that are generated by solar flares. The sensors also detect the electromagnetic radiation that is emitted as these particles move through a medium, such as air or plasma. This is known as cerenkov radiation.
Other GOES instruments include the Imager, which detects both visible and infrared radiated energy from the surface of the Earth, and the Sounder, which senses vertical atmospheric temperature and water vapor structures. GOES also features the NOAA Space Environment Center’s SEM (Space Environment Monitor) instrument package.
SEM collects data on the effect of the Sun on the near-Earth solar-terrestrial environment and provides real-time space weather products to NOAA/SEC.
A key GOES capability is its ability to track and predict the evolution of severe local storms and tropical cyclones. GOES can determine the location and strength of a storm from its first appearance on an image, as well as track its movement across the globe in a matter of minutes.
The satellite’s spectral imaging capabilities are especially useful for the prediction and tracking of storms, providing detailed information about cloud structure and dynamics, surface temperatures, and water vapor, among other variables. GOES’ images are used by forecasters at the National Weather Service to make decisions that impact the safety and comfort of people, property, and natural resources.
GOES also plays an important role in the detection of distress signals transmitted by 406 MHz emergency beacons carried by planes, ships, and individuals in need of rescue. GOES-13 carries the international COSPAS-SARSAT system, which enables the satellite to automatically transmit position information for rescuers to locate and assist individuals in need of assistance.
Although GOES is a critical tool for NOAA’s forecasters, its sophisticated technology and powerful capabilities require substantial support from the scientific community to ensure that it is operated to the fullest extent possible. The next generation of GOES, the third-generation geostationary weather satellites, is currently in development to begin operations in 2020. This will be a very different system from the existing family of GOES satellites, and require a completely new set of ground systems and operation procedures, a whole new fleet of instruments, and a new design for the GOES-R spacecraft. Despite significant challenges and delays, the team at NOAA/SEC is working hard to achieve this important goal.