America's next advanced weather satellite will be fully operational soon.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently cleared the new Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T (GOES-T) for launch in March.
People interested in watching the satellite's launch live can do so on NASA television, the NASA app, and NASA's website.
Those who wish to attend the launch virtually can register for free on GOES-T's Eventbrite page. People who registered will be getting launch schedule changes, information highlighted mission activities and access to curated mission resources.
Launch Day Details
NASA's report states that the satellite will be launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 41 on March 1 at 4:38 pm EST.
Additionally, the space agency will start live streaming launch day events at 4 pm.
According to NASA Launch Director Tim Dunn, the spacecraft and range equipment are all ready, adding that the combined government and contractor launch team is "prepared to add [the satellite] to the family and continue this amazing legacy of these weather sentinels", per a Space.com article.
However, the space agency is concerned about cumulus cloud and surface electric fields on launch day due to the 60 percent favorable weather forecast on March 1.
GOES-R Satellite Series
The GOES-T satellite is NOAA's third satellite in the Geostationary Operational Environment Satellites - R Series (GOES-R) - the most sophisticated weather observing and environmental monitoring system in the Western Hemisphere, according to NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NEDIS) page.
The GOES-R Series advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements, real-time mapping of lightning activity, and space weather monitoring. It currently has two satellites in space: GOES-16 and GOES 17.
The GOES-16 Satellite functions as NOAA's operational GOES East Satellite, while GOES-17 is the West Satellite. Once GOES-T succeeds in its on-orbit instrument and systems check-out, NOAA will be assigning the "GOES West Satellite" designation to the GOES-T, turning the GOES-17 into an on-orbit spare of the GOES-R Series.
The two satellites were said to be monitoring the west coast of Africa to New Zealand, covering an area of more than half the globe.
The GOES-R Satellite Series uses its Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) as its primary instrument for capturing Earth's weather, oceans and environment in space. Thanks to ABI, the satellites can scan Eath five times faster than previous GOES satellites with four times the resolution and three times the number of channels, giving NOAA a more accurate and reliable information for forecasts and severe weather warnings.
The satellites carry Geostationary Lightning Mappers (GLMs) that send weather forecasters data on initial thunderstorm developments and intensifying severe storms bfore they produce damaging winds, hall or even tornadoes. This tracking is done using the increase in lightning activity of developing severe storms.
Additionally, the satellites have a Solar Ultraviolet Imager (and Extreme Ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensors to provide imaging on the sun and solar flare detection. They also have the Space Environment In-Situ Suite (SEISS) and Magnetometer that provide data critical to speace weather forecasts as well as early warning of disruptions to power utilities, communication and navigation systems.
The SEISS and Magnetometer also provides data on orbiting satellites' radiation damage.
