Kristen's Classroom: New weather satellite goes live
AUSTIN (KXAN) - Meteorologists use many tools to help analyze weather data and develop a forecast. One of those tools is weather satellites, and there's a familiar yet new one orbiting our planet that has just become operational this week.
GOES-R satellite series
NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES)– R Series is known as the Western Hemisphere’s "most sophisticated weather-observing and environmental-monitoring system"(NOAA). Made up of 4 weather satellites, the first in the series was first launched back in 2016, with the latest put into orbit in 2024.
These satellites hover over 22,000 miles above the Earth's surface at the equator. One is positioned so that it can closely monitor the eastern U.S. and Atlantic ("GOES-East"), and the other can focus on areas in the western U.S. and Pacific Ocean ("GOES-West"). Each satellite, as of this week, also has a backup.
GOES-19, which launched last year, became operational this week and will replace GOES-16 as the new "GOES-East".