GOES-16

GOES-16, formerly known as GOES-R before reaching geostationary orbit, is the first of the GOES-R series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) operated by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). GOES-16 serves as the operational geostationary weather satellite in the GOES East position at 75.2°W, providing a view centered on the Americas. GOES-16 provides high spatial and temporal resolution imagery of the Earth through 16 spectral bands at visible and infrared wavelengths using its Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI). GOES-16's Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) is the first operational lightning mapper flown in geostationary orbit. The spacecraft also includes four other scientific instruments for monitoring space weather and the Sun.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) program began as a joint effort between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1975 to develop geostationary weather satellites following the success of the Applications Technology Satellite (ATS) and Synchronous Meteorological Satellite programs beginning in 1966. In the 1999 Operational Requirements Document (ORD) for the Evolution of Future NOAA Operational Geostationary Satellites, NOAA listed instrument requirements for the next generation of GOES imager and sounder. Top priorities included continuous observation capabilities, the ability to observe weather phenomena at all spatial scales, and improved spatial and temporal resolution for both the imager and sounder. These specifications laid the conceptual foundations for the instruments that would eventually be included with GOES-16.

Images updated every 5 minutes. NOAA GEOS-16