Satellite Operations Updates - Total Operational Weather Readiness - Satellites (TOWR-S)
GOES-17 ABI Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly: Spring 2021 update
April 2, 2021
Over the first two weeks of April, users will notice a rapid deterioration of the GOES-17 Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) infrared (IR) imagery as a result of the Loop Heat Pipe (LHP) anomaly. The degradation will abate briefly around April 8, when the Mode 3 cooling timeline begins; then will increase again until around April 13. Imagery quality will then slowly improve through late May. (The GOES-15 satellite will not provide supplemental operations for this anomaly.)
Figure 1: GOES-17 Predicted Peak Longwave Infrared Focal Plane Temperature
What are the anticipated impacts?
Figure 1 above shows the daily maximum temperature of the GOES-17 ABI focal plane module. The higher the temperature, the more saturated the ABI imagery becomes. Where the temperature rises to approach a black line for each band, marginal saturation and/or striping may be observed in imagery. Where the temperature curve exceeds a black line for each band, the imagery may begin to saturate so much that it becomes unusable.
Furthermore, during "Mode3" operation (detailed next), the West CONUS / PACUS sector will be unavailable from the ABI sensor; it will scan only Full Disk and mesoscale sectors.
GOES-17 Mode 3 Cooling Timeline
From April 8 through May 4, 2021, from 0600 UTC to 1200 UTC each day, NESDIS will operate the GOES-17 ABI according to a "Mode 3 cooling timeline" to reduce the number of saturated images resulting from the LHP anomaly. This coincides with predicted GOES-17 ABI focal plane temperatures of 100 K or greater. In Mode 3, the GOES-17 ABI generates a Full Disk image every 15 minutes and alternating Mesoscale Domain Sector images each minute; but the West CONUS / PACUS domain will not be scanned at all during those hours, in order to enhance ABI cooling. Read the full message on the upcoming GOES-17 Mode 3 cooling timeline from OSPO here.
As seen in Figure 1 above, the GOES-17 ABI will operate in Mode 3 twice more in 2021: Aug. 9-Sep. 2 and Oct. 14-Nov. 4.
We want to hear from you!
Have you experienced a case where degraded or missing imagery affected the forecast or warning process? If so, please send us your feedback, and feel free to include sample imagery. Contact John Evans (john.d.evans@noaa.gov) or Lee Byerle (lee.byerle@noaa.gov) on the TOWR-S team. You can also direct any satellite-related comments or questions to the TOWR-S team on NWSChat in the “towr-s” chatroom.
- 2023 Satellite Operation Communications
- 2022 Satellite Operation Communications
- 2021 Satellite Operation Communications
- 2020 Satellite Operation Communications
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES-17 ABI Bands 11 & 15 [October 15, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES-17 ABI Band 9 [October 13, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES-17 ABI Bands 8, 10, 12 & 16 [October 9, 2020]
- GOES-17 ABI Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Fall Season Preview [October 7, 2020]
- GOES-17 Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Summer Season Concludes [September 1, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES ABI Bands 13 & 14 [August 26, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES ABI Band 15 [August 14, 2020]
- GOES-17 Mode 3 Cooling Timeline Operations [August 10, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES ABI Band 11 [August 10, 2020]
- GOES-17 Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts Update [August 4, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES-17 ABI Band 8 [July 30, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES-17 ABI Band 10 [July 29, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES-17 ABI Bands 12 & 16 [July 24, 2020]
- GOES-17 Cooling System Impacts Update [July 22, 2020]
- GOES-17 Mode 3 Cooling Timeline Operations [April 3, 2020]
- GOES-17 Cooling System Impacts Update [April 3, 2020]
- Upcoming Deactivation of GOES-15 Operations and Products [February 27, 2020]
- GOES-W Scan Strategy Testing [February 18, 2020]
- GOES-17 Cooling System Impacts Update [February 5, 2020]
- 2019 Satellite Operation Communications
- GOES-W Scan Strategy Testing [December 9, 2019]
- Mode 6: GOES-E/W ABI Operational Flex Mode Transition to 10 Minute Cycle [March 29, 2019]
- GOES-W Yaw Flip Data Outage [March 27, 2019]
- GOES-R Satellite Series: Upcoming ABI Mode 6 Testing [February 19, 2019]
- GOES-R Satellite Series Mode 6 Testing and GOES-17 Imagery Anomalies [February 7, 2019]
- GOES-17 ABI Mode 6 Testing [January 25, 2019]
- GOES-17 Cooling System Impacts Update [January 17, 2019]
- 2017 Satellite Operation Communications