A new satellite positioned 22,000 miles above the equator will provide more advanced data during hurricane season, potentially improving forecasts for these threats.
The US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s new GOES-19 satellite became operational on 7 April.
“With GOES-19 now in operation, NOAA has delivered the full fleet of GOES-R satellites to orbit, providing the most sophisticated technology ever flown in space to help forecast weather on Earth,” said Stephen Volz, assistant administrator for NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service.
According to a press release from NOAA, GOES-19 will serve as NOAA’s primary geostationary satellite for much of the Western Hemisphere.
It will track hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean basin, including those likely to impact the Cayman Islands, as well as monitor severe weather events and other environmental events.
The GOES-19 satellite will provide high-resolution visible and infrared imagery, atmospheric measurements and real-time mapping of lightning activity.
It is also equipped with space weather instruments to monitor the sun, providing an advanced early warning system for solar storms.
Clinton Wallace, director of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, said, “With dramatically improved resolution and faster detection, it helps us better predict dangerous space weather that can impact satellites, GPS, astronaut safety, aviation and power grids.”
The GOES-R satellite programme is a collaborative effort between NOAA and NASA. NASA builds and launches the satellites into space, and NOAA operates the satellites and distributes their data to users worldwide.