At some point before November 19th the GOES-R weather satellite will take launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Geostationary Weather Satellites and Remote Sensing, GOES-R is the next generation of Earth Observing weather systems. A collaborative program created by The National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA )and The National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration(NOAA), GOES-R will help develop more accurate weather forecasts and warnings .

These will be capable of providing information on weather patterns and severe storms every 30 seconds. GOES-R will improve in hurricane tracking, improvement in aviation route planning, enhance space weather monitoring, and provide the data for climate variability study. With this technology, meteorologists will now be able to continuously detect energy (infrared and visible) from the Earth’s surface, clouds, and atmosphere. This energy is detected through instruments on the GOES called radiometers.

Because GOES-R is able to track infrared energy, this means that it can even operate at night. The improvement of Satellite data is so important and good to know about because now we will have the power to have a better understanding of the weather and be able to predict future forecasts and prepare for disasters ahead of time. As well as collecting solar and atmospheric data which impacts us all.The launching of GOES-R will mark the first technological advancements since a GOES was launched in 1994. The new GOES-R will have 3x the spectacle channels, 4x resolution quality, and 5x the coverage speed than the current one we’ve had for the past 12 years.

If interested in learning more about the GOES-R launch, check out the website at http://www.goes-r.gov

Gallery • 7 Photos

Unwrapping GOES-R