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SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch signature

By Scott Bachmeier •

16-panel images of all GOES-16 ABI spectral bands [click to enlarge]

16-panel images of all GOES-16 ABI spectral bands [click to enlarge]

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch of the STP-2 mission occurred at 0630 UTC (2:30 am EDT) on 25 June 2019. 16-panel images showing all GOES-16 ABI spectral bands (above) revealed visible and thermal signatures — ranging from hot thermal signals of air superheated by the rocket exhaust (perhaps best seen in Water Vapor bands 8, 9 and 10) to signatures of the low-altitude exhaust plume cloud drifting slowly southward just off the Florida coast.

A magnified view of the 16-panel image at 0630 UTC is shown below. Note that there was a rocket signal seen in all 16 spectral bands — even the “Blue” Visible (0.47 µm) Channel 1, with a very subtle 0.1% reflectance value.

16-panel images of all GOES-16 ABI spectral bands at 0630 UTC [click to enlarge]

16-panel images of all GOES-16 ABI spectral bands at 0630 UTC [click to enlarge]

Categories: GOES-16, Rocket signatures