The GOES-T weather satellite is set to launch on Tuesday, 4:38 p.m. EST, but meteorologists are keeping a close eye on the forecast as poor weather could delay the satellite’s debut.
An illustration of what the GOES-T weather satellite would look like in space. (NOAA)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) fleet of weather-watching satellites is about to get an upgrade as the agency teams up with NASA to launch a new spacecraft that could help with wildfire detection and drought predictions across the western United States.
The GOES-T satellite will blast off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Tuesday afternoon on a journey to a celestial outpost 22,000 miles above the Earth's surface known as geostationary orbit.
This unique orbit is more than 85 times farther away than the International Space Station and will allow the weather satellite to provide meteorologists with a fixed view of the same area of the globe year-round.
After reaching orbit, GOES-T will be renamed GOES-18.
AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell will be in Florida for the launch on March 1, the first day of meteorological spring, at 4:38 p.m. EST. There is currently a 70% chance of favorable weather for launch on Tuesday with the primary concerns being cumulus clouds and the threat of lightning.
The launch of the GOES-17 weather satellite on March 1, 2018. (NASA)
GOES-T is the third of the latest generation of NOAA's advanced weather satellites, joining GOES-16, which launched on Nov. 19, 2016, and GOES-17, which launched on March 1, 2018. GOES-T will launch on the four-year anniversary of the GOES-17 launch, which is fitting given the mission for the newest satellite.
"Following a successful on-orbit checkout of its instruments and systems, NOAA plans to put GOES-T immediately into operational service, replacing GOES-17," NOAA said.
This swift changing of the guards is due to a malfunction with GOES-17's cooling system which has periodically disrupted its ability to collect data. These disruptions occur most frequently during the weeks surrounding the March equinox and the September equinox, which are two crucial meteorological windows.
During March, GOES-17 typically scans for the final waves of much-needed moisture before the rainy season ends along the West Coast. Meanwhile, in September, the satellite helps to gather invaluable information about the tropics during the peaks of the Atlantic and the eastern Pacific hurricane seasons.
Once up and running, GOES-T will take over the reins as the primary satellite watching over the western U.S. and most of the Pacific Ocean.
The instruments onboard the satellite not only paint a picture of the weather below, but they can also detect wildfires and estimate their intensity, spot nearly every flash of lightning in its field of sight and even watch storms erupting on the surface of the sun.
However, this satellite swap does not spell the end for GOES-17.
This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, at 2:40 p.m. EDT., and provided by NOAA, shows Hurricane Laura over the Gulf of Mexico. (NOAA via AP)
After the newest weather satellite goes into operation, GOES-17 will begin a different mission as a safety net for meteorologists.
It will join two other weather satellites, GOES-14 and GOES-15, in what is known as on-orbit storage. If something happens to one of the operational satellites, one of these three could be brought out of storage and resume operations to ensure that there is no prolonged gap in satellite data.
If there were no backup satellites already in space and a weather satellite did malfunction, it could have significant impacts on the accuracy of weather forecasts ranging from the track of hurricanes to daily forecasts for cities and towns across the country.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
In 2024, GOES-U, the fourth and final member of the current generation of NOAA's weather satellites, is scheduled to launch. Barring any unforeseen issues, GOES-U will be placed into on-orbit storage and will be called up to duty when it is needed.
The current fleet of satellites is projected to operate well into the 2030s, and potentially even 2040, according to NOAA's predictions.
Related:
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
No comments:
Post a Comment