Satellite Operations Updates - Total Operational Weather Readiness - Satellites (TOWR-S)
GOES-17 ABI Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly: Spring 2022
April 5, 2022
Overview
Over the next week, 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 it will increase again until around April 13. Imagery quality will gradually improve through late April and May.
Figure 1: GOES-17 Observed and 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 (FPM). 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. NESDIS will be adjusting GOES-17’s ABI FPM set point (operating temperature of the instrument) to maximize the availability of frequently-used ABI channels, though at some expense to less frequently used channels.
GOES-17 Mode 3 Cooling Timeline and GOES-15 Supplemental Operations
From April 8 through May 11, 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. The West CONUS / PACUS domain will not be scanned during these periods. This pattern enhances ABI cooling and thus reduces imagery degradation.
In addition, from April 12 through April 18, NESDIS will operate GOES-15 to supplement GOES-17 with five bands of imagery, including water vapor imagery.
Looking Ahead
GOES-18 is scheduled to replace GOES-17 as GOES-West on or about January 3, 2023, and at that time, GOES-18 data will become continuously available to all NWS users that normally receive GOES-West data. In the interim, between April and early summer, the first GOES-18 ABI test data will become available to NWS, initially for evaluations on non-operational systems only. For the summer and fall GOES-17 ABI LHP degradation periods, GOES-18 ABI will be providing GOES-West operational imagery to the National Centers and field offices.
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