A new set of eyes in the sky will allow scientists to study the weather and climate.
The GOES-T satellite lifted off from Florida. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is on a ride into the final frontier. If everything goes according to plan, GOES-T will deploy from the Atlas V's upper stage about 3.5 hours after liftoff.
The four-satellitegeostationary operational environmental satellite (GOES)-R series is the latest in the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The satellite is headed for a high altitude.
Scientists will be able to keep tabs on weather systems and natural hazards across a broad stretch of the Western Hemisphere thanks to the work done from that perch.
The views of Earth from space.
The name of the satellite will be changed to GOES-18 after it reaches the satellite's satellite's satellite's satellite's satellite's satellite's satellite's satellite's satellite's satellite's satellite's satellite's satellite's satellite's satellite It will take a long time to begin.
Initially, it will be placed at the westernmost point of the United States, where it will begin its post-launch testing. The testing will continue for a couple of months, according to Dan Lindsey, a program scientist at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
In May, it will drift over to the west position over the east Pacific Ocean.
The Advanced Baseline Imager instrument is experiencing a cooling problem, but it is operational. When GOES-18 comes online, the new satellite will take the place of the old one. The naming system is confusing. Half of the planet will be studied with the help of GOES East and it will work in tandem with it.
Looking for the effects of storms across the Pacific Ocean and wildfires throughout the western United States will be included in the ground applications.
Lindsay said that the smoke is also able to check.
Forecasters and emergency managers can use this data to warn the firefighters and the public about where the fire is and where the smoke is coming from. It is important to keep track of the smoke for air quality and other potential dangers.
Lindsay mentioned planes as a potential hazard that GOES-T will seek to manage through looking for dangerous aerosols on flight paths.
An updated version of the lightning mapper that was used on previous GOES-R satellites is available on GOES-T. Tewa Kpulun, the science lead at the company, said in the press conference that atomic oxygen gets excited by the temperatures and pressures that occur during lightning strikes.
It is more difficult to see the instrument in the dark than it is to see it during the day with three optical filters that can remove solar glare.
Kpulun said that the GLM data means that we get better details on lightning strikes before the storm fully develops.
The satellite will help protect satellites, power grids and other infrastructure by monitoring space weather. The full disc of the Earth will be imaged every 10 minutes.
Daniel Gall, the chief systems engineer at L3Harris Technologies, said that the instrument provides three times the wavelength information, four times the spatial resolution and five times faster coverage than the previous generation of those image.
The flight project manager at NASA said that the new GOES-T satellite has several improvements over previous ones.
For example, the ABI instrument has a redesign to improve thermal control. New electronics and other changes will increase reliability on the lightning mapper. The satellite's magnetometer will be more accurate because of improved stability.
The first images from GOES-T should come back to Earth around May or June. Mission officials declined to answer a question about whether they will share information with Russia, a country that is under U.S. sanctions.
Lindsay said that officials would follow up with the reporter if they asked about the matter.
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