Status of the GOES-R Space Weather Sensors and Products

Within the GOES-R program the office of the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) is responsible for supporting the acquisition of the space weather sensors and the development of derived environmental products used for NOAA space weather operations. The GOES-R spacecraft includes a comprehensive suite of space weather instruments for measuring the local space environment in geostationary orbit and for remotely monitoring the sun. The instrument vendors have now delivered the first shipsets of sensors for the GOES-R spacecraft and are preparing to deliver the remaining instruments for GOES-S/T/U. Prelaunch calibrations have been completed and plans are in place for post-launch calibration/validation of the space weather products. NCEI is responsible for ensuring that the Level 1b (L1b) space weather products have been provisionally validated prior to satellite handover from NASA. At the provisional level of maturity the GOES-R space weather products can be used for initial operational testing; full product validation will becompleted during the extended product validation phase following GOES-R Post Launch Testing (PLT). While the L1b products will specify the space and solar environments in exquisite detail, the products are not particularly well suited for immediate use by space weather forecasters within the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). Rather, the forecasters will rely on the availability of Level 2+ (L2+) space weather products which are tailored to address their specific needs for actionable information. To this end, NCEI has developed the suite of L2+ algorithms required to produce these specialized space weather products. NCEI is also developing the capability for processing the L2+ products within the demonstration Satellite Product Analysis and Distribution Enterprise System which will be functionally transitioned to National Weather Service (NWS) systems for real-time operations. As we approach the GOES-R launch NCEI will continue to work with the Program Office and the NWS to ensure that the GOES-R space weather products best serve needs of SWPC and their constituents.