Optimization of GOES-17 Advanced Baseline Imager to Recover and Maximize Performance with Degraded Thermal System

The 17^th Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-17) was launched March 1, 2018. The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) is the primary instrument on the GOES-R series for weather and environmental monitoring. With three times the spectral bands, four times the spatial resolution, and five times the image collection rate, ABI significantly improves the quality and frequency of existing data products and provides many new weather and environmental products.

The GOES-17 ABI (flight model 2) experienced a degradation in its thermal system that limits ABI’s ability to shed solar heat load. This limitation resulted in significant reduction in performance after initial turn on with only 3 of 16 spectral channels expected to be available for much of the year. A combined government/vendor team was tasked with optimizing the operation of ABI to recapture as much performance as possible. By modifying the operational configuration, it was possible to regain performance in all 16 channels for half of the year with the remaining half of the year limited to degradation on 9 channels for only a few hours per day.

This was accomplished by taking advantage of the considerably flexible nature of ABI’s design to adapt its configuration to the new reality and improve capabilities for many of ABI’s subsystems. The significant differences in operational configuration will be discussed as well as their impact to performance and data availability. These include, but are not limited to, modifying cryocooler operation, developing new autonomous control algorithms, operating detectors at significantly higher temperatures, tuning the detector operating parameters, and performing semi-annual yaw flips.