TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA — Satellite images and data are vital for weather forecasting, and scientists are preparing to launch a new "super-satellite." The satellite is a modern marvel named "GOES-R."
It's so sophisticated, it's confined to a sterile room. The newest geostationary operational environmental satellite (or ''GOES'') is going to change how we observe our atmosphere.
Greg Mandy is the program director: "For the first time in 40 years, we are introducing a full new end to end introductions of new technology. It's a real game changer for the forecaster."
The last GOES satellite came online in 2010, loaded with technology from the late 2000s.
An Atlas v rocket will launch GOES-R into orbit more than 22,000 miles above us.
"We're also flying a lightning mapper for the first time," says Mandt. "A lightning mapper is basically a giant camera that's taking an image 200 times per second so that we can see the entire lightning field across the United States."
This is a big upgrade over the ground-based detection methods currently in use, allowing meterologists to see lightning occurring in clouds out over the open ocean.
GOES-R will also help meteorologists make more accurate tropical forecasts.
"When we can now say for that hurricane, I can watch it every 30 seconds with that fine resolution and now with the lightning, they'll be able to much more precisely know not only where it's going, but what intensity levels that it's going to have," says Mandt.
That's one small step for man, one giant leap for weather forecasting.
The launch is planned for November.
When GOES-R and its sister satellite come online, the two will produce more data in six months than all of our weather satellites over the last 30 years... combined.
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