美國于上周六，在佛羅里達州卡納維爾角發射了一枚氣象衛星，該衛星可提供西半球連續的高分辨率颶風和其他暴風圖像，將給氣象預報帶來“革命性變化”。

衛星提供的更詳細的視圖，預計將有助于颶風預測，更早預警洪水和更有效地跟蹤野火、巖漿柱和火山灰云等。

GOES-R衛星，可以每五分鐘拍攝一張西半球的完整圖片，同時可以縮放具體區域的火災、火山噴發或暴雨。

這枚衛星為地球同步環境衛星（GOES）系列的第17枚，是自2010年以來的首次發射。該衛星比前代有顯著進步。前代衛星需要每30分鐘拍攝一張半球圖片，并且無法同時執行多任務。

NASA地球科學副主任桑德拉·考夫曼在周四的新聞發布會上表示：“這是一次巨大突破。它將給氣象預測帶來真正革命性的變化。”

這枚衛星將通過聯合發射聯盟（United Launch Alliance）與洛克希德·馬丁（Lockheed Martin）和波音（Boeing）合作開發的Atlas 5火箭發射。

新衛星的核心是一臺高分辨率攝像機，由哈里斯公司（Harris Corp）旗下的Exelis公司（Exelis Inc）設計和制造。這款攝像機可以拍攝16個波長的圖像，而當前系統的攝像機僅能拍攝5個波長。

美國國家海洋與大氣管理局（National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration，NOAA）的項目科學家史蒂夫·古德曼表示，由NASA和NOAA聯合開發的GOES-R衛星，有更高的分辨率，拍攝速度比前代提高了五倍。

這枚衛星的能力不止限于氣象預測。例如，更清晰的圖像使預測人員可以看到云層的波動，因此飛行員可以避開紊流，為飛機乘客提供更平穩的旅程。

NOAA表示，由洛克希大·馬丁公司制作的GOES-R衛星包括第一款實用的閃電測繪儀，可以每秒200次的速度繪制西半球的閃電場圖像。

NOAA行政助理史蒂芬·沃爾茲表示，GOES-R是系統性升級項目中的四枚衛星之一，成本為110億美元，包括發射費用。下一枚衛星暫定于2018年發射。

據2015年美國政府問責辦公室（U.S. Government Accountability Office）的報告顯示，由于技術問題和管理不善，GOES和由NOAA運行的第二個極地軌道氣象衛星網絡，一直面臨成本超支和項目拖延的問題。

新衛星進入軌道之后，將經過約11個月的測試，然后才會投入實際應用。NOAA表示，目前實際應用的衛星共有三枚。（財富中文網）

譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

A U.S. weather satellite that will “revolutionize” forecasting was scheduled for launch from Florida’s Cape Canaveral on Saturday, promising to deliver continuous high-definition views of hurricanes and other storms over the Western Hemisphere.

The detailed view provided by the satellite is expected to sharpen hurricane forecasts, provide more advanced warning of floods and better tracking of wildfires, plumes and volcanic ash clouds.

Scheduled to blast off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 5:42 p.m. EST, the GOES-R satellite is capable of taking a complete picture of the hemisphere every five minutes while simultaneously zooming in on fires, volcanic eruptions or severe rain in specific regions.

The satellite, the 17th in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) series, is the first to be launched since 2010. It is a step up from its predecessors, which take 30 minutes to image the hemisphere and are not capable of carrying out multiple tasks at the same time.

“This is a quantum leap,” Sandra Cauffman, deputy director of Earth Sciences at NASA, said at a news conference on Thursday. “It will truly revolutionize weather forecasting.”

The satellite rests on top of an Atlas 5 rocket developed by United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co..

The heart of the new satellite is a high-resolution camera, designed and built by Exelis Inc, a subsidiary of Harris Corp. It can see in 16 wavelengths, compared with the five available with the current system.

GOES-R, developed by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has four times better resolution and can take images five times faster than its predecessors, NOAA program scientist Steven Goodman said.

The satellite’s capabilities go beyond weather forecasting. The sharper view will enable forecasters to see waves in clouds, for example, so that pilots can avoid turbulence and give airline passengers smoother rides.

GOES-R, built by Lockheed, includes the first operational lightning mapper, which will image lightning fields in the western hemisphere 200 times a second, NOAA said.

GOES-R is the first of four satellites in a system upgrade that will cost $11 billion, including launch fees, said NOAA Assistant Administrator Stephen Volz. The next satellite is slated for launch in 2018.

GOES, along with a second, polar-orbiting weather satellite network operated by NOAA, has faced cost overruns and program delays due to technical issues and mismanagement, according to a December 2015 U.S. Government Accountability Office report.

Once in orbit, the new satellite will undergo about 11 months of testing before it joins the operational fleet, which now numbers three units, NOAA said.