A very exciting day in the weather world. Welcome to GOES-19, the brand new updated satellite covering the United States is now in operation!
GOES-19, formerly known as GOES-U, introduces significant enhancements over its predecessor, GOES-16, particularly in space weather monitoring. A notable addition is the Compact Coronagraph-1 (CCOR-1), the nation’s first operational coronagraph, designed to observe the solar corona and detect coronal mass ejections (CMEs). This instrument provides imagery within 30 minutes of acquisition, a substantial improvement over the previous system’s eight-hour delay, thereby enhancing space weather forecasting capabilities.
GOES-19 continues the high-temporal resolution imaging capabilities introduced with the GOES-R series but maintains and enhances rapid updates for weather monitoring.
- Full-Disk Updates Every 5 Minutes: GOES-19 can scan the entire Earth every five minutes, providing near-real-time global coverage to track weather systems, storms, and environmental changes. This allows meteorologists to monitor rapidly developing weather patterns with high-frequency updates.
- Mesoscale Region Updates Every 30 Seconds: In high-impact weather events, GOES-19 can focus on two mesoscale sectors simultaneously, delivering images every 30 seconds per region. This is crucial for tracking severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, wildfires, and other rapidly evolving atmospheric phenomena, offering nearly real-time updates for forecasters.
These rapid update capabilities, combined with its advanced instruments like the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), allow GOES-19 to provide even more detailed and timely data, improving short-term forecasting, severe weather warnings, and disaster response efforts.
GOES-19, previously known as GOES-U, introduces several advanced features over its predecessor, GOES-16, enhancing both Earth and space weather monitoring capabilities.
Enhanced Magnetometer (GMAG): GOES-19 is equipped with an upgraded magnetometer that offers improved measurements of Earth’s magnetic field compared to earlier GOES-R series satellites.
These advancements position GOES-19 as a critical asset in NOAA’s mission to provide timely and accurate environmental data, ensuring improved forecasting and preparedness for both terrestrial and space weather phenomena.