Launch of EUMETSAT MTG-I1
GOES-16 ABI spectral band 01-16 and Rocket Plume RGB images [click to play animated GIF | MP4]
A sequence of 1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) images from all 16 ABI spectral bands along with Rocket Plume RGB images (above) displayed signatures of the launch of EUMETSAT MTG-I1 from the Guiana Space Centre near Kourou, French Guyana (synoptic station identifier 814030) on 13 December 2022. The Ariane-5 rocket booster’s hot thermal signature was seen in all Near-Infrared and Infrared spectral bands (03-16), while the lower-tropospheric rocket condensation cloud plume signature was seen in all 16 spectral bands (moving southeastward, immediately off the coast). Right after launch at 2030 UTC, the peak 3.9 µm infrared brightness temperature sensed by GOES-16 quickly increased from 51.2ºC in the 2030 image (GOES-16 scanned that feature at 20:30:57 UTC) to 60.8ºC in the 2031 UTC image (GOES-16 scanned that feature at 20:31:55 UTC).
Another animation of Rocket Plume RGB images — created using Geo2Grid — is shown below.
GOES-16 Rocket Plume RGB images (credit: Tim Schmit, NOAA/NESDIS/ASPB) [click to play MP4 animation]
16-panel images showing all GOES-16 ABI spectral bands (below) provided another method of tracking the rocket’s condensation plume cloud southeastward motion in all 16 bands.
16-panel images of all GOES-16 ABI spectral bands [click to play animated GIF | MP4]
GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images from the CSPP GeoSphere site (below) provided a closer view of the rocket’s condensation plume — its deformation in time offshore was due to changes in wind direction and/or wind speed with height.
GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images [click to play MP4 animation]