GOES-S represents the second of four next-generation GOES-R series of satellites. The GOES-S satellite has the same instruments as GOES-R, including the Advanced Baseline Imager, the Geostationary Lightning Mapper, and solar and space monitoring instruments. GOES-S launches from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41 on March 1, 2018 at 5:02 PM EST. Once in orbit, GOES-S will become GOES-17. Like GOES-16, GOES-17 will undergo post-launch testing at 89.5W, and is expected to begin drifting to the GOES-West position (137W) 205 days after launch. While GOES-16 (as GOES-East at 75.2W) covers the eastern half of the US and much of the Atlantic, GOES-17 (as GOES-West) provides the best coverage for the western US and eastern Pacific.

Figure 1: 1 March 2018 GOES-16 1-min VIS. Full res:

Figure 2: 1 March 2018 GOES-16 1-min 3.9 um SWIR imagery. Full res:

Figure 3: 1 March 2018 GOES-16 1-min SWIR. Full res

Figure 4: 1 March 2018 GOES-16 1-min 7.34 um low lever water vapor imagery “rocking”. Full res

Bill Line, NWS