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This graphic shows coverage of the Western Hemisphere by GOES-East and GOES-West. (NOAA)
Five Reasons GOES-S will be a Game-Changer for Weather Forecasts in the Western U.S.
Excitement is building for the launch of GOES-S. On March 1, 2018, NOAA’s newest geostationary satellite will launch into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida. GOES-S (which will become GOES-17 once it reaches its final orbit) will significantly enhance weather forecasting capabilities across the western United States, Alaska, and Hawaii and provide critical data and imagery of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean extending all the way to New Zealand. Here are five reasons why GOES-S will be such a game-changer for weather forecasts from California to Alaska and beyond. p { width:900px; }
The NOAA Satellites Dating Game: Be Our Valentine!
The NOAA Satellites Dating Game: Be Our Valentine!
In celebration of Valentine’s Day we have hearts in our eyes as we think about our amazing satellites.  They each have unique global mapping, atmospheric, weather and environmental sensing abilities. Do you know which one would be the best connection for you? Take this dating game quiz and find out!
NOAA Satellite Global Coverage Illustration
International Partners in the Sky: Satellite Partnerships
NOAA’s GOES East and GOES West aren’t just part of an esteemed pair of sister satellites, they also belong to an international group of partners in the sky. While GOES East and West keep watch over the Western Hemisphere, their foreign counterparts on the other side of the world image the Eastern Hemisphere. These satellites make up a core geostationary satellite team that provides accurate real-time data to NOAA and the United States.
NOAA polar orbiting (right), geostationary (middle), and the new GOES-16 (left) satellites are part of the SARSAT constellation.
NOAA satellites aid in the rescue of 275 lives in 2017
Last July, a sailboat with two people onboard caught on fire several hundred miles off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida. Luckily for the crew, a NOAA satellite picked up the distress signal from their emergency beacon, enabling the U.S. Air Force and Coast Guard to rescue them. p { width:900px; }
The three men behind the successful launch of Explorer 1 on January 31, 1958: Dr. William H. Pickering (left), Dr. James A. van Allen (center) and Dr. Wernher von Braun (right). (Credit: NASA)
The Road to Modern Weather Satellites: NOAA and NASA Celebrate 60 Years of America in Space
As NOAA’s next-generation weather satellites continually improve weather forecasts in the United States and beyond, it’s worth remembering how we got to where we are today. Today marks the 60th anniversary of America’s first successful satellite launch, ushering in a new era of space exploration and scientific discovery. 
Space Junk Graphic Illustration
Does Space Junk Fall from the Sky?
Yes it does! On average, a total of between 200-400 tracked objects enter Earth’s atmosphere every year. That’s about one every day! Thankfully human populations are rarely affected by things falling from the sky (from outer space). This is largely a numbers game. Human populations live on a small percentage of the Earth’s total surface area. So any objects that do not burn up and disintegrate upon atmosphere re-entry are likely to fall into the ocean (which covers over 70% of the surface of the Earth) or a sparsely populated land area.
GOES-13 views Hurricane Gonzalo in the Caribbean and active weather across the western and central North Atlantic on October 14, 2014.
Farewell to GOES-13: The History of NOAA’s Former GOES East Satellite
For more than seven years, NOAA’s GOES-13 satellite has been actively monitoring the skies over the Western Hemisphere, serving as a critical source of information during major U.S. weather events, from crippling snowstorms to powerful hurricanes. Here’s a look back at the satellite’s unique history and its most memorable imagery.
Hurricane Sandy Intensifying in the Caribbean Before Tracking Up the East Coast
NOAA Retires GOES-13 Satellite After 10 Years of Stellar Service
Makes way for next generation of weather imagery! NOAA’s GOES-13 satellite has captured some of the most notorious weather events in recent U.S. history – from paralyzing blizzards in the Northeast and Midwest, to destructive hurricanes like Sandy in 2012 and last summer’s historic run of Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria.
NOAA Satellite Illustration
How Many New Year’s Eves Will NOAA’s Satellites Celebrate?
Every year at midnight on December 31st, the mathematical and mysterious converge as we witness a new year begin! It’s a pretty exciting event here on Earth, and thinking about time and space has us wondering: how many New Year's Eve celebrations will our satellites in the sky capture this year? We know that NOAA-20, our most advanced polar-orbiting weather satellite, makes 14 rotations around the globe each day, scanning every location on Earth at least twice in 24 hours. We also know our geostationary satellite NOAA GOES-16, now in the operational GOES East location, maintains watch over the Western Hemisphere. So, let’s start the calculations!