Latest news with #StephenVolz
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The newest GOES weather satellite in NOAA's fleet is now fully operational (video)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The final satellite in NOAA's GOES-R weather satellite series has a new place in orbit … and a new name. The GOES-19 weather satellite, which launched into orbit in June 2024, has officially taken the place of its predecessor GOES-16 to watch over the Western Hemisphere from its perch 22,236 miles (35,785 kilometers) above us. To mark the milestone, the satellite has the new name of GOES East to serve as the dominant geostationary satellite in the fleet, NOAA officials said in a statement. "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, in the statement. "GOES-19 supports NOAA's mission to provide secure and timely access to global environmental data and information to promote and protect the nation's security, environment, economy and quality of life." As GOES East, the satellite will be responsible for keeping a watchful eye on tropical development in the Atlantic Ocean, and monitor weather such as severe storms, wildfires, and atmospheric rivers. Just like its siblings, GOES-19 is equipped with technology to produce high-resolution imagery, take measurements of the atmosphere, and track the location and intensity of lightning in real-time. If that's not exciting enough for scientists, this satellite also hosts NOAA's first compact coronagraph instrument (CCOR-1), monitoring the sun's activity. "CCOR-1 is a game-changer for ensuring our nation is resilient to solar storms, monitoring massive eruptions of energy from the sun in real time," Clinton Wallace, director of NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, said in the statement. "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, ensuring we can protect critical technology and infrastructure like never before."
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Weather satellite operational, completes fleet to forecast severe storms on Earth
April 8 (UPI) -- The final piece of an advanced series of weather satellites officially began operating Tuesday to help provide better forecasts on Earth and in space, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. GOES-19 satellite replaces GOES-16 to cover the GOES East orbit 22,236 miles above Earth's equator. It also completes NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, or R-series, to provide the Western Hemisphere's "most sophisticated weather-observing and environmental-monitoring system." "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. "GOES-19 supports NOAA's mission to provide secure and timely access to global environmental data and information to promote and protect the nation's security, environment, economy and quality of life," Volz continued. GOES-19, which launched on June 25, 2024, will track hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean. It will also monitor severe weather, atmospheric rivers, wildfires, volcanic eruptions and other environmental events. The satellite is also equipped with space weather instruments to monitor the sun. NOAA's first compact coronagraph instrument, called CCOR-1, will provide "critical information about impending geomagnetic storm conditions." "CCOR-1 is a game-changer for ensuring our nation is resilient to solar storms, allowing us to monitor massive eruptions of energy from the sun in real time," said Clinton Wallace, director of NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. "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, ensuring we can protect critical technology and infrastructure like never before," according to Wallace. GOES-18 launched in March 2022 and was the "third in this new advanced series." The GOES-R Series Program includes four satellites, built and launched by NASA and operated by NOAA. GOES-19 joins GOES-18, or GOES West, to watch over more than half of Earth from Africa to New Zealand and from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle. The fleet of satellites is expected to provide valuable information about this year's Atlantic hurricane season, which is forecast to rival 2024, one of the most devastating and costliest hurricane seasons on record for the Southeast and Florida, due to damage caused by Beryl, Helene and Milton.
