Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite — R Series

A collaborative program of NOAA and NASA

User Systems: GOES Rebroadcast

Transition from GVAR to GRB

Type of Transmission: Direct Broadcast

Users: Anyone with an antenna and software capable of receiving GOES direct broadcast downlink

What should I know about GOES Rebroadcast?

GOES Rebroadcast (GRB) will provide the primary relay of full resolution, calibrated, near-real-time direct broadcast space relay of Level 1b data from each instrument and Level 2 data from the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). GRB will replace the GOES VARiable (GVAR) service. The GRB contains the ABI, GLM, space environment, and solar data which drive data flow in the NOAA space and Earth environment research and operational framework. Additional information is available in the Product Users Guide.

GRB will use two digital streams, each at 15.5 Mbps, compared to the GVAR standard of a single 2.11 Mbps stream. A dual polarization approach will be used to accommodate the 31 Mbps data rate within a frequency bandwidth of 9.8 or 10.9 MHz per polarization, using a standard downlink modulation at 1686.6 MHz (L-band). GRB will be able to produce a full disk image in either five or fifteen minutes, depending on mode, compared to GVAR’s thirty minutes. Additional technical information regarding data downlink can be found in the Downlink Specifications.

The GRB processed instrument data source will be packetized compliant with Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) standard 133.0-B-l and will utilize lossless data compression to fit within allocated bandwidth. Data blocking and accompanying header metadata will be used to minimize risk of loss due to link errors and allow for user verification of data integrity.

The transition from GVAR to GRB continues to evolve and more information will be communicated through meetings and conferences such as the NOAA Satellite Conference as well as on the GOES-R series website.

The content distributed by GRB will be the full set of level 1b products, including data from all ABI channels and the other GOES-R series instruments (GLM, MAG, SEISS, SUVI, EXIS, and Magnetometer).
GOES users must upgrade or acquire new antenna and receiver hardware, and acquire processing systems in order to receive the higher volume of GOES-R series data via GRB.

GRB Simulators

Purpose: On-site testing of user ingest and data handling systems, such as GRB field terminal sites.

Simulation of GRB downlink functionality by generating Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) formatted GRB output data based on user-defined scenarios, test patterns, and proxy data files.

Five GRB simulators have been designated for loan to borrowers who manufacture GRB receivers and other users interested in testing their receive systems. The objective is to allow borrower access to simulators to verify GRB receive system compatibility with the GRB transmission.

The GOES-R Ground Segment Project held an Industry Day on October 25, 2013 for the purposes of informing interested parties about the GOES Rebroadcast (GRB) Simulator. Information and access to presentations from the event.

GRB Simulator Integrated Hardware

Front and Back views on GRB Simulator

GOES Rebroadcast (GRB) Simulators are available for loan.
For information on requesting a simulator, visit http://go.usa.gov/WvXY