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<i>Retro Music</i>

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Narrator: It all began back in October 1975,

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with the launch of NOAA’s GOES-1 satellite.

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<i>--Indecipherable radio chatter--</i>

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<i>Space Report Narrator: We’ve come a long way in weather forecasting</i>

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<i>since the early balloon launching days, thanks mainly to weather satellites</i>

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Narrator: As groundbreaking as it was, it had limited capabilities and only

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viewed Earth about 10 percent of the time.

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By 1980, a new series of GOES satellites went into orbit.

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These satellites had the capability to obtain vertical profiles of temperature

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and moisture throughout the various layers of the atmosphere.

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In 1994, GOES-I was launched. And with it, came significant improvements

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in the resolution, quantity, and continuity of GOES imagery and data.

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Thanks to a new three-axis method of stabilization.

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Once it reached orbit, it was renamed GOES-8.

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And gave forecasters more accurate information to pinpoint locations of

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storms, wildfires, and other hazards.

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By the mid-2000s, GOES-N, GOES-O and GOES-P further improved

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the imager and sounder resolution to better pinpoint the locations of

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intense storms. This satellite series also had improved optics, better

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batteries, and more power allowing for more continuous imaging.

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<i>Launch countdown: Three...two...one...[rocket engines roar]</i>

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Narrator: Then in 2016, the current generation of geostationary satellites

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was launched. The GOES-R Series.

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With this series came new advancements that included state-of-the-art

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instruments, like the Geostationary Lightning Mapper and

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and the Advanced Baseline Imager or ABI.

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For nearly 50 years, the GOES satellites have provided a unique view of Earth.

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As the program advanced, so did the technology.

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Allowing it to become the most sophisticated weather observing,

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environmental monitoring, and space weather monitoring satellite system

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that helps promote and protect the nation’s security, environment,

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economy, and quality of life.