The world's most powerful weather satellite, GOES-16, is now sending imagery to the Centre for Weather and Climate Studies (CPTEC) of Brazil's National Space Research Institute (INPE). The device, built by the US, sends information every 15 minutes to aid various environmental initiatives.

The satellite provides data on air quality and visibility, climate, cloud formation, fires, hurricanes, surface cover, lightning, fog, coastal and marine environments, rainfall and flooding, severe storms and tornadoes, space weather and volcanoes.

The US National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warns that the images sent to the Satellites and Environmental Systems Division of the CPTEC are preliminary, and are currently undergoing tests to verify the accuracy of the systems on the satellite.

"This new generation of satellites is a revolution in environmental monitoring. The expected benefits come from a larger set of tools that offer improved monitoring of weather, environment and climate conditions, space weather phenomena and the hazards related to them," said the head of the Satellites and Environmental Systems Division, Daniel Vila.

CPTEC and NOAA have been working together to monitor weather and climate conditions in South America, a partnership that has led to many benefits for Brazilian society.

"This partnership allows Brazil to get exclusive access to preliminary images generated by GOES-16, which helps consolidate INPE's leadership in the area of environmental satellites and reaffirms our commitment to society," the researcher added.