A new satellite launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Saturday will likely make future weather forecasts more accurate.
The GOES-R satellite, which was launched atop an Atlas V 541 rocket, is one of three being built to replace older weather satellites, CNN reports.
Once GOES-R is 22,300 miles above Earth and reaches orbit, it will be known as GOES-16, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
"GOES-R’s instruments will be capable of scanning the planet five times faster and with four times more resolution than any other satellite in our fleet," Kathryn Sullivan, a NOAA administrator, said in a statement. "With these new instruments and powerful new capabilities, GOES-R will strengthen NOAA’s ability to issue life-saving forecasts and warnings and make the United States an even stronger, more resilient Weather-Ready Nation.”
GOES-R will deliver high-resolution satellite imagery as often as every 30 seconds, according to NOAA.
This improvement will help give forecasters and those in emergency management a more detailed look at storms.
In a statement, NOAA noted that GOES-R is flying six new instruments, including the first operational lightning mapper, which can help meteorologists determine whether a storm is strengthening or weakening. That means improved lead times for severe storm warnings.
“GOES-R will significantly improve the ability of emergency managers across America to prepare for, and respond to, weather-related disasters," Craig Fugate, a FEMA administrator, said in a statement. "Better situational awareness will result in better outcomes -- from where to best position resources ahead of a storm to delivering more targeted information to local officials to decide if an evacuation is necessary."