GLM: Adventures in Post-Launch Test

The GOES-R series of geostationary weather satellites, equipped with the new Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instrument, has arrived on station and is generating first-of-its-kind data.  Following several weeks of Post-Launch Test (PLT), GLM will provide a new lightning mapping capability that enables improved warning times for severe weather events, decreased false alarms, persistent coverage over wide geographical areas, and long-term monitoring of trends linked to the changing climate.

As we prepare to deliver world class lightning mapping capability to NOAA, we present highlights from the on-going Post-Launch Test (PLT) of this new operational severe weather forecasting instrument.  A wide range of parameters, on board the GLM flight hardware as well as in the ground processing algorithms, must be adjusted during PLT to optimize lightning detection performance.  Following the path from photons entering the optics to lightning flash detection, we provide an overview of the PLT process and tools that were developed to tame this complexity.