The GOES R system will operate for fourteen years and will continue providing remote sensing data to direct users and central processing centers. The mission will improve latency and cover the entire hemisphere with complete coverage, including periods of eclipse at the vernal equinox. The consolidated architecture will be capable of growing to meet the increasing performance demands. The primary payload instruments on GOES are the SEM and Imager. Here are a few things you should know about these instruments.

GOES satellites remain in geostationary orbit and continually view the earth. They track the weather, and detect atmospheric triggers to monitor severe weather. GOES satellite imagery helps meteorologists calculate rainfall during thunderstorms, snowfall accumulations, and overall snow cover. GOES satellites can even help issue winter storm warnings. They also detect ice fields and map their movements. To get a better view of the weather, GOES satellites scan the Earth every day, which makes them invaluable to forecasters.

The new satellite will also provide higher resolution and three times more data than its predecessors. GOES-R will provide three times more information and be five times faster than the current GOES satellites. As a result, the GOES-R will be able to provide better weather information and help predict severe weather. In addition, GOES-R will be able to monitor volcanic ash clouds, dangerous fog, and changing hurricane intensities.

GOES satellites are an essential part of the weather monitoring system. GOES satellites have been a mainstay of U.S. weather monitoring since 1974. NASA oversees the design, procurement, and manufacture of the GOES satellites. The agency is responsible for delivering space weather and terrestrial data through the SPEDAS software. The data is collected and used for various purposes. The data is also used for many research projects. The latest GOES satellites provide high-resolution imagery for the most accurate forecasts.

GOES satellites orbit the Earth in a geosynchronous orbit. This position is considered the “sweet spot” of Earth because it means that GOES satellites are never in motion with respect to the ground. This allows them to continuously monitor Earth’s weather from 35,800 km / 22,300 miles above the equator. The satellites’ full-disc view of Earth allows them to collect information on global weather patterns every 30 seconds.

GOES-16 satellite was launched on a Lockheed Martin Atlas V 541 expendable launch vehicle in November 2016. The system module and the propulsion core module were successfully mated in September 2014. The spacecraft completed all environmental and mechanical tests before it was shipped to the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Florida. The mission is expected to operate for at least five years. Its design and operation began in 1999 and is now known as GOES-16.