First image from new weather satellite
The new GOES-14 weather satellite launched June 27 has sent back its first picture of the full disk of the Earth. Taken on Monday last week, it shows North and South America, and the entire cloud-spangled western hemisphere.
Once its checkout is complete in December, the satellite will be parked and held in readiness in case one of the three operational GOES weather satellites breaks down or runs out of fuel. The white spot at the center of the picture is the reflection of the sun on the Pacific Ocean off Panama.
The satellite was designed, developed and launched by NASA, the project managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. It will be turned over to NOAA after checkout. It is 22,236 miles above the Earth, in a 24-hour orbit that keeps it over the same spot on the surface. Read more here.
