Such data help meteorologists issue winter storm warnings and spring snow melt advisories. Satellite sensors also detect ice fields and map the movements of sea and lake ice. NASA launched the first GOES for NOAA in 1975 and followed it with another in 1977. The United States operates two meteorological satellites in geostationary orbit over the equator. The two operate together to send a full-face picture of the Earth, day and night.
Improved forecasts save lives, preserve property, and benefit agricultural and commercial interests.
GOES satellites provide meteorologists and hydrologists with detailed weather measurements, more frequent imagery, and new types of atmospheric soundings. The data gathered by GOES satellites, combined with that from new Doppler radars, will make possible a revolutionary flood and water management system devised by National Weather Service hydrologists, greatly aiding water resource managers as they make critical decisions about allocating precious water resources, particularly those of the western states. Complementing the geostationary satellites are two polar-orbiting satellites. The satellites circle the Earth in an almost north-south orbit, passing close to both poles. Operating as a pair, these satellites ensure that data for any region of the Earth are no more than six hours old.