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SARSAT
NOAA Satellites Helped Rescue 421 People in 2019
On Jan. 3, 2019, a 24-foot pleasure craft with two people onboard capsized and sank approximately five miles southwest of Huntington Beach, Calif. Luckily, an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) from the boat was detected by a NOAA satellite, which enabled the Coast Guard, together with the Huntington Beach Fire Department, to rescue the two individuals from the water and transport them to shore. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department then brought them to a local hospital for treatment.
2019: A Look at the Best Images from Above
As we look ahead to another year on this beautiful and fascinating planet, NOAA’s  Satellite and Information Service would like to take a moment to review 2019 from a satellite’s perspective.
Goes-r
NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Environmental Satellite Mission
NASA has selected United Launch Services LLC (ULS) of Centennial, Colorado, to provide launch services for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T (GOES-T) mission, which will provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth’s weather, oceans and environment, real-time mapping of total lightning activity, and improved monitoring of solar activity and space weather.
Photo of Goes-15
NOAA Readies GOES-15 and GOES-14 for Orbital Storage
NOAA officials have announced plans to power off the GOES-15 satellite and place it into orbital storage by January 31, 2020.
NOAA Satellites is Feeling Thankful this Thanksgiving
NOAA satellites tend to see the ‘big picture’ a lot. Looking at Earth from 22,240 miles back (GOES-16’s home in the sky), allows us to see some really big things to be thankful for all the time. So this Thanksgiving we thought we’d take a much closer look at some of the smallest things we appreciate here at NOAA. This Thanksgiving, NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service team wants to thank the little guys.
Measuring Winds to Help Predict the Weather
Wind is a fundamental variable of weather. The heating of Earth’s surface and atmosphere by the sun drives winds that move heat and moisture from one place to another. Variations in large-scale wind circulation patterns are responsible for the daily weather we experience. Indeed, satellite-based wind data are among the most important information contributing to the accuracy of global weather prediction models.
Winter’s on its Way — NOAA Satellites Have You Covered
Winter is just around the corner, and NOAA’s U.S. winter outlook for 2019-20 is out.  For meteorological winter, which extends from December through February, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center forecasts warmer-than-average temperatures for much of the U.S., with wetter-than-average conditions most likely across the Northern Tier of the U.S.
Joint Polar Satellite System’s Microwave Instrument Fully Assembled
The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Joint Polar Satellite System-2 spacecraft, scheduled to launch in 2022, has been fully assembled and has begun environmental testing.
Satellite Imagery RGBs: Adding Value, Saving Time
With the advent of the GOES-R Series, forecasters now have an overwhelming amount of information to sift through. The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument has 16 channels that image Earth’s weather, oceans and environment as often as every 30 seconds. How can meteorologists quickly discern the information they need to issue timely forecasts and warnings? Scientists are working on new ways to combine information from multiple ABI channels to enhance meteorological features of interest. The result is a variety of red-green-blue or “RGB” composite imagery. The stunning, colorful imagery you see from GOES-16 and GOES-17 isn’t just beautiful to look at, it also provides critical information to forecasters for situational awareness and nowcasting rapidly changing weather.