NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations Sounder (GXS)

NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) satellite system will provide advanced hyperspectral resolution infrared observations to meet the requirements of its evolving numerical weather prediction and forecasting missions. The first GeoXO Sounder (GXS) is slated to fly in the mid-2030s and provide an unprecedented level of information. The plans are for the GXS to be located at a longitude over the center of the U.S. Given the high spectral resolution combined with approximately 4 km subpoint spatial resolutions, the GXS will be as much of an improvement over the legacy Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) broad-spectral resolution sounder as the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) improvement was to the legacy imager. The GXS will be the U.S. contribution to the global ring of geostationary advanced infrared sounders, thus supporting NOAA’s global as well as regional forecasting capability. The GXS sensor will provide unique information about the vertical structure of moisture, winds, and temperature to support both Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and nowcasting applications. In addition, the GXS will deliver information on a number of trace gases, including ozone, HNO3, NH3, and isoprene. This information will be used to complement the GeoXO Atmospheric Composition sensor (ACX) and significantly enhance its capabilities.