History of Geostationary Weather Satellites

Abstract Earth measurements from geostationary orbit were started in 1966 with a spinning visible camera. The immediate positive response to the resulting weather movies led to follow-on instruments that expanded daytime coverage to include nighttime with the addition of an infrared camera. The international community started contributing similar instruments in geostationary orbit in the late 1970s leading to the first global experiment relying primarily on satellite measurements to understand and improve weather prediction. A sounding capability was demonstrated in the 1980s and was introduced into operations in the 1990s. Both imaging and sounding capabilities from geostationary instruments continue to evolve toward faster coverage at higher spatial resolution, with more spectral bands, measured with improved signal to noise.