The Shift Begins Before Sunrise and Continues After Sunset: How NOAA Satellite Operators and Engineers Keep America Safe, Every Day of the Year
Morning shift satellite controllers at NOAA’s Satellite Operations Facility review satellite data visualizations that help Americans plan their workday. This includes anything from avoiding severe storms to managing outdoor operations like farming, construction, and travel. Supporting the GOES mission, these technicians observe weather conditions across both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres to keep the nation informed.
Before the first shift begins, NOAA’s satellites, and the teams that operate them, are already hard at work. The day starts with the satellite controllers, or SATCONs, who are responsible for maintaining the health and safety of NOAA’s environmental satellite fleet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and they ensure that environmental data is being transferred down to the antenna sites. These highly trained professionals report for duty during holidays, weekends, and even during severe weather events like hurricanes and blizzards.
SATCONs work staggered 12-hour shifts, often away from their families for days at a time, performing hands-on operations that include anomaly response, data recovery, and daily tasks that are critical to keeping NOAA’s satellites flying. If a satellite shows signs of distress like slipping out of orbit, losing power, or encountering radiation damage, it’s the SATCONs who notice first and take action to prevent this from happening again.
“If we’re not there, the data stops,” said Justin Gronert, Operations Manager. “And if the data stops, forecasts everywhere are affected.”
Our Engineers Launch Satellites and Keep Satellites Healthy
Flight Engineers work on shift in the Launch Control Room during mission rehearsals for the launch of the Space Weather Follow On (SWFO-L1) satellite, which is planned to launch in mid September 2025. This satellite will provide early warning information for solar activity that impacts communications grids, GPS navigation, and the power sector.
When NOAA satellites are launched into orbit, their journey is just beginning. NOAA’s Office of Satellite and Product Operations (OSPO)team remains actively involved from the ground, ensuring these sophisticated systems stay healthy and responsive throughout the entire life of the satellite.
If a satellite shows signs of trouble, whether due to aging components, solar flares, or technical anomalies, it is OSPO’s engineers who respond like satellite doctors. Flight engineers focus on the health of the spacecraft in orbit, and ground system engineers ensure that the infrastructure back here on earth that supports them is functioning properly.
OSPO engineers diagnose problems in real time by working closely with satellite controllers to perform emergency procedures and guide satellites back to full functionality. Sometimes that means spotting subtle performance issues before they escalate. Other times, it involves leading complex investigations to determine the root cause of a fault.
Their mission is both proactive and reactive.Their deep expertise ensures NOAA’s eyes in the sky continue to deliver life-saving data that powers weather forecasts, storm alerts, and long-term weather monitoring.
Delivering the Final Mile of Satellite Data
Once NOAA satellite observations are received on the ground, it is the product operators who carry that data the final mile to the National Weather Service. These dedicated professionals monitor the flow of petabytes of data every year. One petabyte equals more than one million gigabytes, which is roughly the same as 250 million smartphone photo albums, or enough high-definition video to stream continuously for more than 13 years non-stop.
Working around the clock, product operators ensure that satellite data is successfully received, checked for quality, and transformed into accurate products. These products feed directly into daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, and long-range climate outlooks that help protect communities and support decision-makers across the country.
Watching the Weather So People Can Work
Every day, NOAA’s satellites quietly power the decisions that keep Americans safe and productive. The data they provide helps farmers decide when to plant or irrigate based on drought and rainfall conditions. It guides fishermen to safer waters by tracking ocean temperatures, weather systems, and harmful algal blooms. Construction crews use weather alerts to adjust schedules around dangerously hot or stormy days, and truckers, pilots, freight carriers and even tourists rely on forecasts to avoid delays and stay on course.
Even beyond transportation and agriculture, satellite data affects daily life in ways most people never consider. Schools monitor air quality forecasts to keep recess safe, lifeguards stay alert for dangerous ocean currents, and tourism professionals plan around changing conditions to protect patrons. Most critically, satellite insights help citizens prepare for extreme weather events, whether by sheltering in place or evacuating before danger strikes. NOAA’s work in space becomes safety on the ground.
Hurricane Erin goes from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane over the course of a day. Image captured by GOES-19.
A Labor of Precision, Purpose, and Pride
The OSPO engineers, operators, and satellite controllers know that the work they do every day improves nearly every aspect of American life and requires constant focus. They understand that the data they safeguard helps protect lives, supports industries, and keeps the nation ready for whatever the weather brings. Whether it is a regular weekday or a major holiday, they show up quietly and consistently, fully committed to the mission and to the people who rely on it.
“This work may not be visible to most people, but it is essential,” said Greg Marlow, Satellite Services Director. “I am proud of this team’s dedication and integrity. On this Labor Day, we honor their quiet excellence and thank them for keeping NOAA’s satellite operations strong.”