![](\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2024\/01\/240118_goes16_abiBands01_16_rocketPlumeRGB_AX3mission_Falcon9_rocket_signatures_anim.gif\")
<\/a>30-second GOES-16 images from all 16 ABI spectral bands, in addition to a Rocket Plume RGB; KXMR denotes the Cape Canaveral rawinsonde site [click to play animated GIF | MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>Overlapping 1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sectors<\/strong><\/a> provided GOES-16 (GOES-East)<\/em>\u00a0images at 30-second intervals from all 16 of the\u00a0ABI<\/strong><\/a> spectral bands in addition to a Rocket Plume RGB<\/strong><\/a> (above)<\/strong><\/em>, which displayed the northeast-moving warm thermal signature of a SpaceX Falcon 9 stage 1 rocket booster as the Ax-3 Mission<\/strong><\/a> was launched from NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2149 UTC (4:49 PM EST) on 18 January 2024<\/strong><\/a>. Due to the presence of widespread lower-tropospheric and upper-tropospheric clouds off the coast — note the moist layers seen in a plot of morning Cape Canaveral rawinsonde data<\/strong><\/a> (the high-altitude clouds were due to a subtropical jet stream<\/strong><\/a> over the Southeast US) — the rocket’s thermal signature was apparent in a more limited subset of Near-Infrared (ABI spectral bands 04\/05\/06) and Infrared (ABI spectral bands 07\/08\/09\/10) images compared to many previous rocket launches.<\/p>\n One noteworthy feature seen in GOES-16 Water Vapor and Rocket Plume RGB imagery was the subtle trail of hot water vapor in the wake of the departing Falcon 9 stage 1 rocket booster, which could be seen drifting to the north-northwest in 30-second images from 2152-2153 UTC (below)<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n 30-second GOES-16 Rocket Plume RGB, Upper-level Water Vapor (6.2 \u00b5m) and Shortwave Infrared (3.9 \u00b5m) images, from 2152-2153 UTC [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>A comparison of GOES-16 Rocket Plume RGB, Upper-level Water Vapor, Mid-level Water Vapor and Shortwave Infrared images at 21:55:25 UTC (below)<\/strong><\/em> revealed a warm thermal signature of the Falcon 9 stage 1 entry burn — which slowed the rocket’s rate of descent as it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere — to prepare it for a landing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.<\/p>\n GOES-16 Rocket Plume RGB, Upper-level Water Vapor (6.2 \u00b5m), Mid-level Water Vapor (6.9 \u00b5m) and Shortwave Infrared (3.9 \u00b5m) images at 21:55:25 UTC [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>GOES-16 Visible images (below)<\/strong><\/em> showed the brighter white Falcon 9 rocket condensation cloud as it emerged from the low-level cloudiness, and was subsequently sheared eastward by westerly winds of 40-70 kts.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>