Post Launch Calibration and Testing of the Advanced Baseline Imager on the GOES-R Satellite

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R (GOES-R) series is the planned next generation of operational weather satellites for the United State's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The first launch of the GOES-R series is planned for October 2016. The GOES-R series satellites and instruments are being developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). One of the key instruments on the GOES-R series is the Advance Baseline Imager (ABI). The ABI is a multi-channel, visible through infrared, passive imaging radiometer. The ABI will provide moderate spatial and spectral resolution at high temporal and radiometric resolution to accurately monitor rapidly changing weather. Initial on-orbit calibration and performance characterization is crucial to establishing baseline used to maintain performance throughout mission life. A series of tests has been planned to establish the post launch performance and establish the parameters needed to process the data in the Ground Processing Algorithm. The large number of detectors for each channel required to provide the needed temporal coverage presents unique challenges for accurately calibrating ABI and minimizing striping. This paper discusses the planned tests to be performed on ABI over the six-month Post Launch Test period and the expected performance as it relates to ground tests

From Photons to Pixels: Processing Data from the Advanced Baseline Imager

The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) is the primary Earth observing sensor on the new generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES-R) series, and provides significant spectral, spatial and temporal observational enhancements compared to the legacy GOES satellites. ABI also provides enhanced capabilities for operational sensor calibration and image navigation and registration (INR) to enable observations of the Earth with high spectral fidelity as well as creating images that are accurately mapped and co-registered over time. Unlike earlier GOES Imagers, ABI has onboard calibration capability for all sixteen bands in the reflective and emissive bands. The calibration process includes periodic and routine views of the internal reflective and blackbody targets as well as views of space and the moon. Improvements in INR are made possible by having a Global Positioning System (GPS) on board the spacecraft and routine measurements of stars through the sensor’s boresight for orbit and attitude determination through a Kalman filter. This paper describes how the sensor data are processed into calibrated and geolocated radiances that enable the generation of imagery and higher level products for both meteorological and non-meteorological Earth science applications. Some examples of ABI images and calibration are presented to demonstrate the capabilities and applications of the sensor

A Closer Look at the ABI on the GOES-R Series

The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on board the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R) is America's next-generation geostationary advanced imager. GOES-R launched on 19 November 2016. The ABI is a state-of-the-art 16-band radiometer, with spectral bands covering the visible, near-infrared, and infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Many attributes of the ABI-such as spectral, spatial, and temporal resolution; radiometrics; and image navigation/registration-are much improved from the current series of GOES imagers. This paper highlights and discusses the expected improvements of each of these attributes. From ABI data many higher-level-derived products can be generated and used in a large number of environmental applications. The ABI's design allows rapid-scan and contiguous U.S. imaging automatically interleaved with full-disk scanning. In this paper the expected instrument attributes are covered, as they relate to signal-to-noise ratio, image navigation and registration, the various ABI scan modes, and other parameters. There will be several methods for users to acquire GOES-R imagery and products depending on their needs. These include direct reception of the imagery via the satellite downlink and an online-accessible archive. The information from the ABI on the GOES-R series will be used for many applications related to severe weather, tropical cyclones and hurricanes, aviation, natural hazards, the atmosphere, the ocean, and the cryosphere