"GOES-16" or the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite has been sent into space for the 16th mission very recently. Its foremost target is to monitor weather conditions. However other than this, the satellite has recorded and fed back to Earth amazingly stunning images of our planet.
From orbit, the satellite provided new pictures, including the picturesque "Blue Marble" Earth. In a report by Space, "GOES-16" is one among the four new and advanced weather satellites of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Together, the four, which is known as GOES-R fleet is being sent into space.
"GOES-16", which was launched on November 19, 2016 is the 16th of the missions that have been launched from the United Launched Atlas V rocket. After two weeks it reached its final geostationary orbit at 22,300 miles over America.
"GOES-16" is characterized by its ability to produce more precise and accurate forecasts for weather and storms. Over and above this, it is able to produce high resolution images of the planet. According to ExtremeTech, the satellite is equipped with an ABI camera system.
"GOES-16" is a high end technology with a resolution that is four times greater than the earlier versions of the weather satellite fleet. It has the capability to scan and produce the Earth's full image every 15 minutes. Meanwhile, it can scan the whole of the US continent in just five minutes. The latest images that the satellite beams back to earth were the photos taken on January 17, 2017.
"GOES-16" is an enormous advancement for the fleet. It can be recalled that the earlier versions of the satellites are based on the 1990 developed technologies. For more news and updates of the GOES fleet, stay tuned to Telegiz.