GOES-R - Atlas V 541 (AV-069) - Канаверал SLC-41 - 19.11.2016 - 22:42 UTC

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http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/11/20/atlas-5-launches-the-most-advanced-u-s-weather-satellite-in-history/

Atlas 5 launches the most advanced U.S. weather satellite in history             
 November 20, 2016 Justin Ray

CAPE CANAVERAL — Revolutionizing the way American meteorologists see the weather, likened to the advancement fr om black and white television to modern high definition TV, a new observatory was successfully launched Saturday by an Atlas 5 rocket to serve as the linchpin to forecasting what tomorrow will bring.
The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket with the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R, or GOES-R, roared away from Cape Canaveral at 6:42 p.m. EST (2342 GMT).
The launch was delayed an hour while engineers verified a potential concern with a component on another rocket was no threat to the Atlas, then worked an undisclosed problem with the Eastern Range.
But those issues were resolved in time for liftoff to occur at the very last moment in the day's hour-long launch opportunity.
"The flight hardware performed beautifully throughout the count and the weather was perfect," said Omar Baez, the NASA launch director.
Liftoff begin three-and-a-half hours of highly complex maneuvers and in-space engine firings that propelled the 11,500-pound spacecraft into a customized elliptical orbit stretching from 5,000 to 22,000 miles and tilted 10 degrees, using the Atlas-Centaur's capabilities to save the satellite's precious onboard fuel supply.
At 10:14 p.m. EST (0314 GMT), GOES-R was deployed to fly freely, then unfolded its power-generating solar array minutes later, beginning a 20-year lifespan observing the weather across the Western Hemisphere — specifically the continental United States — with unprecedented resolution and speed.
It marked the 138th successful launch in a row for the Atlas program spanning 23 years, the 67th for the Atlas 5 over the span of 14 years, the second in just 8 days, and extended United Launch Alliance's mission record to 113 in nearly 10 years.
"NASA has chosen one of the most reliable launch vehicles in the world to go put the GOES-R spacecraft up into orbit," said Scott Messer, program manager for NASA Missions at United Launch Alliance.
 
Official launch photo. Credit: United Launch Alliance

What's more, it also represented the milestone-setting 100th flight for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program by the combined Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rocket fleets. Both families were created commercially, with seed money from the Air Force, to serve the national needs of the U.S.
EELV has launched at least 633,000 pounds of cargo into space, and that's not counting 27 flights with classified payload masses that likely push the total close to one million pounds in 100 flights.
All 100 EELV launches have been deemed successful by the customers of each, which have ranged from military to spy satellites and civil science missions to commercial spacecraft.
"GOES-R is a historic mission. It will be the most sophisticated weather satellite that NOAA has ever operated, with new technology never before seen and used in a geostationary orbit for forecasting," said Greg Mandt, NOAA's GOES-R program manager.
The Lockheed Martin-built craft is the first of four that will be launched through 2024, ensure U.S. weather observations through at least 2036 as part of an $11 billion development effort. The satellites promise to dramatically improve the timeliness and accuracy of weather forecasts and warnings.
"For 40 years, we've sort of had the same simple pictures. Meteorologists are calling this a game-changer from their ability to watch what's going on and warn the nation," said Mandt.
Officials estimate GOES-R will transmit more data in six months of operation than all previous GOES weather satellites combined.
The heart of GOES-R is its Advanced Baseline Imager, the sophisticated digital camera that offers more embedded data at higher resolution taken in quicker intervals than ever before.
"When we see an evolving weather system, we'll be able to zoom in and use that high spatial resolution to take pictures in 16 different spectral channels every 30 seconds," said Joe Pica, director of the National Weather Service Office of Observations.
"This spectral imagery, combined with our doppler radar data, for example, will improve our understanding of whether a storm is growing or decaying. It'll help us track severe storms, including tornadoes, forecast wildfire movement, track plumes from volcanic eruptions and tell whether a hurricane is intensifying."
ABI will produce 95 percent of the data from GOES-R, downlinking the equivalent of 210 HD movies every day.
The current GOES satellites are capable of taking a full picture of the hemisphere every 27 minutes and can zoom in to an area of interest — like a thunderstorm or hurricane — to image that every five minutes.
GOES-R will improve those times significantly, scanning from pole to pole every five minutes and refreshing the view of targeted storms every 30 seconds to better probe the rapid intensification or weakening.
And the ABI takes just 22 horizontal strips — like your mobile phone's camera in panorama mode — to cover the whole hemisphere compared to 1,356 strips by the existing GOES generation.
 
An artist's concept of GOES-R. Credit: NOAA

"We are really excited about the increase in temporal resolution to receive data for the continental United States at five-minute intervals and have the options to receive data for specific events — like hurricanes — at 30-second looks," said Louis Uccellini, director of the National Weather Service.
"It will give us extraordinary ability to sustain our situational awareness as to how these storms are changing their intensity, not only in the development phase but as they decay."
ABI, manufactured by Harris Corp., uses an imaging reflectometer/radiometer with 16 sensing channels spanning visible, near-infrared and infrared wavelengths. Resolution ranges from 1,640 feet (0.5 km) in visible to 6,560 feet (2 km) in infrared from 22,300 miles away.
It also produces real-time estimates of central pressure and maximum sustained winds for tracking the intensity of hurricanes, and measures the key ingredients of severe weather like winds and cloud growth to improve tornado warnings.
Data will be sent to the ground in 0.14 seconds, rapidly processed and then piped out to forecasters in 4.3 seconds.
Geostationary satellites are considered the most important tool in hurricane monitoring and forecasting, Uccellini said, and GOES-R promises to advance the science by improved height specifications to atmospheric winds that steer hurricanes and continuously monitor the health of the eye wall wh ere the strongest winds are located as the storm nears the coastline.
Although not yet operational by next summer's hurricane season, Uccellini said meteorologists will be testing their algorithms at the National Hurricane Center.
Asked if storms are becoming more destructive, Uccellini said: "We are becoming more vulnerable," such as more people living along the coast.
In addition the weather forecasting, the imagery will be used for detecting and characterizing wildfires, analyzing air pollution, monitoring volcanic ash clouds and assessing vegetation.
The satellite also carries the first Geostationary Lightning Mapper, a Lockheed Martin-made instrument that will take 200 images per second to detect in-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning over the Americas and surrounding ocean areas to increase the warning time for severe weather.
"The lightning detector will provide an early detection of those clouds that are going to affect you and provide the first signals that severe convection is actually developing," Uccellini said.
"The doubling of the spatial resolution will be incredible in terms of the imagery — like comparing black and white TV of the 60s to today's 4K HD imagery," said Mary Glackin, head of science & forecast operations and senior vice president for public-private partnerships at The Weather Company.
"The lightning mapper is also much anticipated. It will really enable services to provide such as outdoor workers' safety."
And the FAA, for example, expects to use GOES-R to gain better information on the location of turbulence, enhance the forecasts of when fog will develop or burn off that impacts airports, unravel the depth of smoke from wildfires and ash clouds from volcanoes for airline routes, and use the lightning detector to improve the visibility into storms over the oceans.
GOES-R also has instruments to monitor the sun, detect solar storm eruptions and alert when the space weather arrives at Earth. Such storms can impact communications, disrupt power grids, threaten the health of astronauts and harm satellites.
"GOES-R will produce new products that will boost NOAA's ability to accurately forecast the weather on Earth and in space," said Mandt.
"As researchers and forecasters learn to use the full data from this satellite, additional products will be developed to have even a greater impact on weather forecasting."
The GOES-R satellite is expected to produce 1.75 terabytes of data products daily for the National Weather Service and other users.
"We are ready for this data as it flows," said Uccellini, adding that the National Weather Service will be part of the satellite's one-year engineering checkout and commissioning.
"By advancing our observation capability to their extraordinary level, we will be able to offer new and improved forecasts and warnings to save lives and property."
 
The GOES operating constellation before today's launch. Credit: NOAA

The first images from the new satellite, to be renamed GOES-16, is expected in about two months. The decision on which orbital position it will fill should come in about six months. And the craft's commissioning and validation period should be finished by this time next year.
Currently, GOES-15 is the GOES-West satellite at 135 degrees West longitude and GOES-13 is the GOES-East satellite at 75 degrees West.
The GOES-14 serves as the in-space spare, parked in the middle and ready to pivot to either slot and enter service at a moment's notice.
The GOES-S satellite is due to launch in early 2018, followed by GOES-T in 2019 and GOES-U in 2024.
The satellites and instruments are clones of each other. They are being built in one fell swoop with no upgrades planned.
"This is a quantum leap that we've not seen since introduction of geostationary program in the 70s," said Mandt.

[Not]

Старый пишет:

Not пишет:

Старый пишет:
Кто популярно объяснит: почему данный аппарат называют "революционным"?

Потому что стоит 10 миллиардов баксов.

Сикока, сикока???        

Программа GOES-R, конечно - 10.9 миллиарда. В ней четыре борта. Виноват, не уточнил   

[ZOOR]

Ну что, с успешным началом работы!
 
NOAA's GOES-16 satellite sends first images of Earth
 
Higher-resolution details will lead to more accurate forecasts

January 23, 2017


Since the GOES-16 satellite lifted off fr om Cape Canaveral on November 19, scientists, meteorologists and ordinary weather enthusiasts have anxiously waited for the first photos from NOAA's newest weather satellite, GOES-16, formerly GOES-R.

The release of the first images today is the latest step in a new age of weather satellites. It will be like high-definition from the heavens.


This 16-panel image shows the continental United States in the two visible, four near-infrared and 10 infrared channels on the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI). These channels help forecasters distinguish between differences in the atmosphere like clouds, water vapor, smoke, ice and volcanic ash. (NOAA/NASA)

The pictures from its Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument, built by Harris Corporation, show a full-disc view of the Western Hemisphere in high detail — at four times the image resolution of existing GOES spacecraft. The higher resolution will allow forecasters to pinpoint the location of severe weather with greater accuracy. GOES-16 can provide a full image of Earth every 15 minutes and one of the continental U.S. every five minutes, and scans the Earth at five times the speed of NOAA's current GOES imagers.

NOAA's GOES-16, situated in geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above Earth, will boost the nation's weather observation network and NOAA's prediction capabilities, leading to more accurate and timely forecasts, watches and warnings.

"This is such an exciting day for NOAA! One of our GOES-16 scientists compared this to seeing a newborn baby's first pictures — it's that exciting for us," said Stephen Volz Ph.D. director of NOAA's Satellite and Information Service. "These images come from the most sophisticated technology ever flown in space to predict severe weather on Earth. The fantastically rich images provide us with our first glimpse of the impact GOES-16 will have on developing life-saving forecasts."


GOES-16 captured this view of the moon as it looked across the surface of the Earth on January 15. Like earlier GOES satellites, GOES-16 will use the moon for calibration. (NOAA/NASA)

In May, NOAA will announce the planned location for GOES-16. By November 2017, GOES-16 will be operational as either GOES-East or GOES-West. Once operational, NOAA will use the satellite's six new instruments to generate new or improved meteorological, solar, and space weather products.
Second satellite in GOES series already in development

Following on the heels of GOES-R will be, GOES-S, the second of four spacecraft in the series. GOES-S is undergoing environmental testing at Lockheed Martin's Corporation facility in Littleton, Colorado, wh ere it was built. A full set of environmental, mechanical and electromagnetic testing will take about one year to complete. The GOES-S satellite will be moved into the other operational position as GOES-17 immediately after launch and initial checkout of the satellite, approximately nine months after GOES-16.

Additional information:
 Learn more about the GOES series of satellites
GOES-16 image gallery

[che wi]

и на русском

"Революционный" метеоспутник НАСА сделал семейное фото Земли и Луны
https://ria.ru/science/20170124/1486339097.html

[tnt22]

NASA‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA 5 мин. назад
 
Detecting & predicting lightning just got a lot easier. First images from @NOAASatellite's GOES-16 Lightning Mapper: http://go.nasa.gov/2mf1okx
 

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/flashy-first-images-arrive-from-noaa-s-goes-16-lightning-mapper

March 6, 2017
 
Flashy First Images Arrive From NOAA's GOES-16 Lightning Mapper
 
 Detecting and predicting lightning just got a lot easier. The first images from a new instrument onboard NOAA's GOES-16 satellite are giving NOAA National Weather Service forecasters richer information about lightning that will help them alert the public to dangerous weather.

Спойлер

 
This is one hour of GOES-16's Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) lightning data from Feb. 14, when GLM acquired 1.8 million images of the Earth. It is displayed over GOES-16 ABI full disk Band 2 imagery. Brighter colors indicate more lightning energy was recorded; color bar units are the calculated kilowatt-hours of total optical emissions from lightning. The brightest storm system is located over the Gulf Coast of Texas, the same storm system in the accompanying video. This is preliminary, non-operational data.
Credits: NOAA/NASA

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The first lightning detector in a geostationary orbit, the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), is transmitting data never before available to forecasters. The mapper continually looks for lightning flashes in the Western Hemisphere, so forecasters know when a storm is forming, intensifying and becoming more dangerous. Rapid increases of lightning are a signal that a storm is strengthening quickly and could produce severe weather.

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During heavy rain, GLM data will show when thunderstorms are stalled or if they are gathering strength. When combined with radar and other satellite data, GLM data may help forecasters anticipate severe weather and issue flood and flash flood warnings sooner. In dry areas, especially in the western United States, information from the instrument will help forecasters, and ultimately firefighters, identify areas prone to wildfires sparked by lightning.
 

 
GOES-16's Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) shows lightning over southeast Texas on Feb. 14, 2017. GLM lightning data was overlaid on Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) cloud imagery. Frequent lightning is occurring. Houston is indicated by the green cross and green dotted lines indicate the Texas coastline. This animation, rendered at 25 frames per second, simulates what your eye might see from above the clouds.
Credits: NOAA/NASA
 
Accurate tracking of lightning and thunderstorms over the oceans, too distant for land-based radar and sometimes difficult to see with satellites, will support safe navigation for aviators and mariners.

The new mapper also detects in-cloud lightning, which often occurs five to 10 minutes or more before potentially deadly cloud-to-ground strikes. This means more precious time for forecasters to alert those involved in outdoor activities of the developing threat.

NASA successfully launched GOES-R at 6:42 p.m. EST on November 19, 2016 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and it was renamed GOES-16 when it achieved orbit. GOES-16 is now observing the planet from an equatorial view approximately 22,300 miles above the surface of the Earth.

NOAA's satellites are the backbone of its life-saving weather forecasts. GOES-16 will build upon and extend the more than 40-year legacy of satellite observations from NOAA that the American public has come to rely upon.

Learn more about GOES-16 and all its exciting possibilities for weather forecasting improvements by visiting the GOES-16 website.
For more information about GOES-16, visit: www.goes-r.gov/ or www.nasa.gov/goes


Michelle Smith
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Last Updated: March 6, 2017
Editor: Lynn Jenner

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Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 26 мин. назад

GOES-16 (GOES-R), launched by an Atlas V last year - showing #harveyhurricane in the last hour - Stay safe everyone!

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NOAA Satellites‏Подлинная учетная запись @NOAASatellites 44 мин. назад

NEW! You can access imagery from NOAA's #GOESEast satellite (#GOES16) which officially went operational today through our GOES-East Image Viewer: https://go.usa.gov/xnQt8 .

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/12/20/noaas-goes-16-weather-satellite-declared-operational/

NOAA's GOES-16 weather satellite declared operational
December 20, 2017 Stephen Clark


Artist's concept of the GOES 16 satellite. Credit: Lockheed Martin

An upgraded NOAA weather satellite has entered service after a year of checkouts to provide critical, rapidly-refreshed imagery to forecasters in time for next year's severe storm and hurricane seasons in the United States and the Atlantic Ocean.

NOAA announced Monday that the GOES-16 spacecraft began regular weather observations after ground controllers maneuvered the satellite to its new operating position in geostationary orbit nearly 22,300 miles (35,800 kilometers) over the equator at 75.2 degrees west longitude.

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GOES-16 replaces the GOES-13 satellite in NOAA's GOES-East position, which covers the eastern United States and the Atlantic Ocean. Spacecraft in geostationary orbit orbit the Earth at the same rate of the planet's rotation, making it a popular location to enable communications and weather satellites to cover the same geographic location 24 hours a day.

Meteorologists got a taste of GOES-16's capabilities last year, when NOAA offered imagery from the new satellite on an experimental basis. The higher-resolution, more timely imagery can now be incorporated into regular forecasts.

"GOES-16 has proven to be one of the most important tools we've ever developed for our weather and hazard forecasts," said retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet, acting NOAA administrator. "From its impressive first image of Earth last January to monitoring tropical storms and wildfires, GOES-16 has and will continue to greatly improve our ability to visualize potential threats, and enhance forecasts and warnings to save lives and protect property."


This full disk image of Earth was captured by the GOES-16 satellite Wednesday. Credit: NOAA

GOES-16 launched Nov. 19, 2016, from Cape Canaveral on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, then boosted itself into a circular geostationary orbit for a year of testing.

Ground controllers took extra time to verify the performance of GOES-16 because it is the first of a new, modernized generation of GOES weather satellites. Built by Lockheed Martin, GOES-16 carries a high-performance camera called the Advanced Baseline Imager, plus a lightning mapper and sensors to monitor solar activity and space weather.

The Advanced Baseline Imager includes 16 imaging filters to take pictures of hurricanes and storm systems in visible and infrared light, an improvement from five imaging channels available on previous GOES satellites.

GOES-16 is NOAA's first geostationary weather satellite to carry a lightning detector.

"We are using the GOES-16 data in ways we planned and in ways we didn't even imagine," said Louis Uccellini, director of the National Weather Service. "GOES-16 has been a game changer for monitoring hurricanes, wildfires, severe storms, and lightning. Now that it is operational and the data is incorporated into the forecast process, we will be able to use it across all our service areas, starting with winter storms."

The richer data from new GOES weather satellites — starting with GOES-16 — allow meteorologists to distinguish between snow, fog, clouds, volcanic ash, and other particles suspended in the atmosphere. During GOES-16's test phase, forecasters tracked multiple hurricanes churning through the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, including Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria.

Officials said GOES-16 helped predict how much flooding rainfall would be produced by Hurricane Harvey as it drifted over the Texas coast, helped spot wildfires in California, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, and improved air quality forecasts.

GOES-16's primary scanning camera offers views of hurricanes and regions with active weather as often as every 30 seconds. The ABI can operate in several modes, including one to take a full disk image showing most of the Western Hemisphere every 15 minutes and a zoomed-in view of the continental United States every five minutes, while simultaneously tracking a hurricane with better resolution and quicker updates.

The previous generation of GOES satellites take a full disk image of the Western Hemisphere every 30 minutes, collect a U.S. view every 15 minutes, and provide updates on a storm's strength and position every five minutes, but not at the same time.

The next member of the new GOES satellite series — GOES-S, to be renamed GOES-17 after launch — is being readied for liftoff on an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral on March 1. It will enter service late next year in the GOES-West position, replacing an earlier satellite with a view of the Pacific Ocean and the western United States.

NOAA operates weather satellites in the GOES-East and GOES-West positions, and maintains at least one backup observatory ready to replace one of the primary spacecraft in case of a failure, ensuring uninterrupted coverage of the Western Hemisphere from Guam to the west coast of Africa.

The GOES-13 satellite is expected to be moved to a standby location now that GOES-16 is operational in the GOES-East slot.

Two more Lockheed Martin-built GOES satellites are scheduled for launch in 2020 and 2024.

The modernized four-satellite weather network is expected to cost nearly $11 billion when complete, including NOAA's purchase of the spacecraft, launch services, instruments and upgrades to ground systems.

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