DENVER (KDVR) — NASA will launch a new satellite that will help with hurricane forecasting and enhance data for weather models.
On Nov. 10, the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite will be launched to measure how warm the ocean is and help to see hot spots.
The satellite will help forecasters predict how hurricanes will increase in strength, size or speed when they go over those hot spots.
The satellite is also designed to measure the height of the ocean, and once every 10 seconds, it will measure sea level around the globe.
“The planet is covered by water of 2/3 of its surface. That means that our weather and our climate are really in large part controlled by what’s going on in the ocean, and this satellite helps us see what that is,” explained Josh Willis, NASA Climate Scientist
The satellite is the first of two launching five years apart and will cover the next 10 years.
Another aspect of the mission is for weather forecasting and enhancing the data in our forecast models.
“There’s a new toy on this satellite, for us at least. It’s a pair of GPS antennas that look forward and backwards, and they measure GPS satellites as they go behind the earth while the satellite is flying around the earth,” shared Willis.
This will tell about the temperature and humidity of the atmosphere all over the planet, which is really important for predicting the weather, storms and improving forecasts.