The L3Harris Technologies high-resolution weather instrument, Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI), is set to launch June 25 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida onboard NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-U satellite, strengthening the nation’s ability to rapidly detect and monitor the environment and severe weather across the Western Hemisphere.

The GOES-U satellite is the fourth and final satellite in the GOES-R Series of advanced geostationary weather satellites. L3Harris’ ABI is the primary instrument for all four satellites in the series, which are also controlled by L3Harris’ enterprise ground system.

“In 2023, the U.S. experienced $28 billion in damages caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires and other climate disasters, and our Advanced Baseline Imager provided critical imagery to help protect lives and property,” said Ed Zoiss, President, Space and Airborne Systems, L3Harris. “Our technology is the primary instrument onboard this NOAA satellite, and we are confident the ABI will deliver unparalleled capabilities to continue supporting a system that revolutionized modern weather monitoring technology.” 

L3Harris’ ABI is able to simultaneously track a single storm and gather continent-wide imagery from more than 22,000 miles from Earth. These images assist NOAA in identifying potential hazards impacting daily life, from air quality warnings to aviation route planning and vegetative health. GOES-U will provide the groundwork for future Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) imager programs. L3Harris is currently building the next-generation, high-resolution imager for NOAA’s GeoXO system. The GOES-R Series includes electric and chemical propulsion systems built by Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company. 

Click here to learn more about L3Harris' Advanced Baseline Imager.