GOES-R Satellite Series: Upcoming ABI Mode 6 Testing

February 19, 2019

 3 minute read

Today, NESDIS is performing an extended duration test of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) operating in Mode 6 on both GOES-16 and GOES-17. The test will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 15z and conclude on Friday, Feb. 22 at 15z. This will be a 72 hour test. Mode 6 is an enhancement to the current ABI Flex Mode (Mode 3), in which a full disk image is taken every ten minutes instead of every fifteen minutes.

The ABI Mode 6 test is important because it will likely become the primary operational mode for both GOES-16 and GOES-17 on or after March 13, 2019. 

Traditionally, the ABIs that fly on the GOES-R series of satellites have operated in two modes— Flex Mode (Mode 3) and Full Disk Mode (Mode 4):

  • Flex Mode (Mode 3) is the "normal" operational mode of the satellite that forecasters are mostly used to. In this mode, a Full Disk image is taken every fifteen minutes, a CONUS/PACUS image is taken every five minutes, and two different areas can be targeted for Mesoscale imagery every one minute (or one area can be targeted every thirty seconds). The satellites usually operate in this mode.
  • Full Disk Mode (Mode 4) is the second operational mode of the GOES-R series, where a Full Disk image is taken every five minutes. From that image, the CONUS/PACUS image is extracted and also produced. There are no Mesoscale images taken in this mode. The satellites only operate in this mode if requested (which doesn't happen very often). An example of when a Full Disk request might be made is when multiple tropical cyclones are in the open ocean beyond the CONUS/PACUS domain.

The GOES-R program office has added a third mode, which is Mode 6.

  • Mode 6 is the third operational mode of the GOES-R series ABI, where a Full Disk image is taken every ten minutes, a CONUS/PACUS image is taken every five minutes, and two different areas can be targeted for Mesoscale imagery every one minute (or one area can be targeted every thirty seconds). In other words, Mode 6 is exactly the same as Flex Mode (Mode 3), except that you get two extra Full Disk images every hour! This is due to Mode 6 exploiting the downtime during Flex Mode when the satellite isn't taking any imagery.

Additionally, GOES-R engineers have determined operating ABI in the new Mode 6 timeline will help alleviate the impact of a newly identified anomaly called the Periodic Infrared Calibration Anomaly (PICA). For more information on the impacts of the PICA anomaly, refer to the previous TOWR-S announcement, GOES-R Satellite Series Mode 6 Testing and GOES-17 Imagery Anomalies [Feb. 7, 2019] here.

Note that requests for Full Disk Mode (Mode 4) during this three-day test will not be allowed. However, forecasters can still make Mesoscale requests as usual. At the conclusion of the test, both GOES-16 and GOES-17 will revert back to the usual Flex Mode.