New Satellite Will Get a Better View of Hurricanes

The launch of the GOES-R geostationary satellite in October 2016 could offer a whole new way to predict hurricanes, providing information at time and space scales not previously possible.

An image of tropical storm Karl and Hurricanes Igor and Julia captured by the GOES-13 satellite in 2010. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Flickr, CC BY 2.0

The launch of the GOES-R geostationary satellite in October 2016 could offer a whole new way to predict hurricanes, providing information at time and space scales not previously possible.

“For decades, geostationary satellites such as the GOES series have been the primary tool to monitor severe weather like storms and hurricanes in real time,” says Fuqing Zhang, professor of meteorology at Penn State.

Artist's rendering of GOES-R. NASA