The first image taken by a high-tech camera on what has been called the most advanced weather satellite ever built has been transmitted.
January 23, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released the image, taken by an imager built in Melbourne, Fla., by Harris Corporation.
The imager was sent into space aboard the next-generation weather satellite called the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-16, or GOES 16.
The satellite traveled into space aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on Nov. 19, 2016.
Harris’ Advanced Baseline Imager includes within it a high-resolution digital camera that is four times stronger than the cameras that had been in space.
The new camera can detect more detailed information about volcanic ash, dust, clouds and more than previous cameras.
Eric Webster, vice president and general manager of Harris Environmental Solutions, estimated that the images that will return through the new imager will be like being able to see the details of a quarter from a mile away.
So far, so good it seems for the new technology.
Space and technology reporters around the internet were floored by the first images.
The Washington Post called them “incredible” and The Weather Channel said they were “spectacular.”
The GOES-16 was known as GOES-R until its launch. The GOES-17 has been undergoing testing at a Lockheed Martin facility in Colorado. When it launches, it will be renamed GOES-S.
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