GOES-17 ABI Mode 3 cooling timeline implementation

NOAA has commenced permanent operational implementation of the Mode 3 cooling timeline. As a result, NOAA will operate the GOES-17 ABI instrument in Mode 3 (instead of Mode 6) over four periods each year. This is in order to mitigate the number of saturated images resulting from the loop heat pipe (LHP) temperature regulation anomaly (further information on https://www.goes-r.gov/users/GOES-17-ABI-Performance.html)

For 2020, the first two periods of Mode 3 operations were in February and April. The next planned periods announced by NOAA are:

• 11 August–1 September
• 14 October–31 October

Dates for 2021 are yet to be determined by NOAA and will be announced by them in due course.

During these periods, every day between 06:00 and 12:00 UTC, GOES-17 operations mode will change from Mode 6 to Mode 3.

This will affect the distribution of ABI Level 1B data as follows:

• Full disc scans will be available every 15 minutes during the Mode 3 operations (instead of every 10 minutes for the Mode 6 operations).
• The change to Mode 3 also means that there will be a temporary filename change of GOES-17 ABI Level 1B data:
  filenames will start with OR_ABI-L1b-RadF-M3C<channel number>_G17_
  instead of ‘OR_ABI-L1b-RadF-M6C<channel number>_G17_

Users wishing to receive the Mode 3 15-minute data should contact our User Service Helpdesk.