Ben Friedman, Acting NOAA Administrator, has just announced that GOES-16 (was GOES-R) will become GOES-EAST to help with hurricane season.

The new satellite was launched into space on November 19, 2016. It is currently undergoing testing and has already sent back to Earth stunning high-resolution imagery and data.

There are two GOES satellites that cover weather conditions in the U.S. and they are positioned over the eastern and western U.S. The satellite in the GOES EAST position covers weather on the eastern side of the continental U.S., including the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The GOES WEST position covers the western half of the U.S. and the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Another GOES satellite sits overhead in “storage” should the others fail.  GOES-16 will replace the current role that the existing GOES-13 is performing in the “EAST” position.