The Space Weather Follow On (SWFO) program is part of NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS) under the Office of Space Weather Observations (SWO). SWFO uses advanced instruments to observe solar activity and analyze the space environment near Earth.
One of these instruments is onboard NOAA’s newest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-19, managed by the GOES-R Program office and launched on June 25, 2024. Four additional instruments will be placed on the Space Weather Follow On - Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) observatory, which, when launched in 2025, will be located at the Lagrange 1 point upstream of the Earth.
Raw data are sent from NOAA satellites to the SWFO Ground Segment which includes processing units at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) and National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
The following documentation is intended for users of the data and the broader public.
Reference Documents
Observational goals are specified in high-level requirement documents.
Plans
The program has developed a number of plans for specific functions. Calibration/Validation is a key function for product development.
Instrument Specification Documents
The following documents present the four SWFO instruments. Understanding instrument operation is crucial for properly interpreting the data.
- Compact Coronagraph (CCOR) - PPT
- Magnetometer (MAG) - PPT
- SupraThermal Ion Sensor (STIS) - PPT
- Solar Wind Plasma Sensor (SWiPS) - PPT
Algorithm Documentation
Ground Processing Algorithms (GPA) are created by the instrument vendors for processing the raw data to products ranging from Level 0a to Level 3. At Level 3, the algorithms are described by Algorithm Theoretical Basis Documents (ATBDs).
Data and Products
Representative images and data produced by the Program will be included here. Real-time data will be available at SWPC in its coronagraph page (currently displaying SOHO/LASCO images) and real-time solar wind page (currently based on ACE and DSCOVR). Preliminary, non-operational data from CCOR-1 are presently available.
All SWFO data will be archived by the National Centers for Environmental Information so they can be made available to scientists and other retrospective users.
Product Validation Reviews
CCOR-1 Beta-Maturity PS-PVR (January 30, 2025)
CCOR-1 Provisional-Maturity PS-PVR (February 24, 2025)
After the review, the following file was made available:
Presentations and Publications in Science Meetings
- Collado-Vega et al., The Future of Space Weather Observations: The Space Weather Next Program and the L1 Series Project, AMS, 2025.
- Kline, Seybold, Fulbright, Pitts, Dahya, and Igli, GOES-19 Transition to Operations, AMS, 2025.
- Machado and Yang, The NESDIS Common Cloud Framework (NCCF): Advancing Open Data Dissemination - Updates on the NOAA/NESDIS/NCCF Dissemination and User Access Services, AMS, 2025.
- Talaat, NOAA’s Space Weather Observations Providing Operational Space Weather capability, AMS, 2025.
- Vassiliadis et al., Space Weather Follow On: Developing Imagery and Other Data Products Following the GOES-19 Launch, AMS, 2025.
- Vassiliadis, Millward, Toth, Raeder, Rastaetter, Zaremba, Singer, and Fuller-Rowell, Impact of SWFO Coronal Imagery and Solar Wind Measurements on Heliospheric and Geospace Models, AMS, 2025.
- Volz, Building NOAA’s Operational Space Weather Observations, AMS, 2025.
- Wiltberger, Merkin, and Provornikova, Insights from the Multiscale Atmosphere Geospace Environment (MAGE) Model Simulations of Magnetic Storms, AMS, 2025.
- Balmaceda et al., The Solar Energetic Particle Scrubbing Algorithm on Board the CCOR Compact Coronagraphs, WISPR, and SoloHI; Principle and Correlations with In-Situ Instruments, AGU, 2024.
- Chamberlin et al., Space Weather Needs for Operationally Observing the Sun’s Middle Corona, AGU, 2024.
- Chua et al., The SWFO-L1 Compact Coronagraph (CCOR-2), AGU, 2024.
- Davis, Jarvis, Loto’aniu, Auriemma, and Inceoglu, The SWFO-L1 Spacecraft Science Magnetometer Product Calibration Plan, AGU, 2024.
- Gardner et al., Earth Shine Effects and Mitigation in CCOR-1 Coronal Observations, AGU, 2024.
- Gomez, Ebert, Valek, Elliott, and Mokashi, The Space Weather Follow On-L1 Solar Wind Plasma Sensor: Optics and Calibration, AGU, 2024.
- Horbury, Colville, Pyle, Boyde, and Trotta, The upcoming L1 fleet: prospects for solar wind and magnetospheric science and space weather forecasting, AGU, 2024.
- Jarvis, Califf, Davis, Early, Loto’aniu, Smith, and Vasquez, Techniques for On-Orbit Zero-Level Offset Calibration for the New SWFO-L1 Spacecraft Science Magnetometers, AGU, 2024.
- Kuroda et al., CCOR-1 In-Flight Calibration Status and Plans Onward, AGU, 2024.
- Landwer, Miesch, Bain, Millward, and Camporeale, Performance of Machine Learning Models in Solar Wind Classification, AGU, 2024.
- Larson, Rahmati, Abono, Mercer, Rodriguez, Vassiliadis, Robinson, Ludlam, and Merrow. Science goals and data processing of STIS the SupraThermal Ion Sensor, AGU, 2024.
- Marshall, Devaney, Inskeep, Pagán, SWFO: A New Source of Coronal Images for Solar and Heliospheric Applications, AGU, 2024.
- Millward, Englyst, Marsh, Gopala, Miesch, and Martinkus, Analyzing CME Propagation in the Solar Corona with the Latest NOAA/SWPC CME Analysis Tool (CAT) and the New Generation of Compact Coronagraphs, AGU, 2024.
- Schmit, Dima, Rowland, Bethge, and Lucas, Post Launch Product Testing for the Compact Coronagraph on GOES-19, AGU, 2024.
- Talaat, NOAA’s Space Weather Observations providing operational space weather capability, AGU. 2024.
- Thernisien et al., CCOR-1 Compact Coronagraph First Lights and Post Launch Testing Status, AGU, 2024.
- Torbert et al., The Magnetometer on the SWFO-L1 Mission, AGU, 2024.
- Vassiliadis et al., Space Weather Follow On: Developing Imagery and Other Data Products Following the GOES-19 Launch, AGU, 2024.
- Wiltberger, Merkin, and Provornikova, Leveraging Lagrange 1 Measurements for Advanced Geospace and Heliospheric Modeling, AGU, 2024.
User Readiness
Presentations on user readiness for SWFO data from the affiliate side meeting “User Readiness for Space Weather Data from NOAA Program of Record-2025 Missions” during the American Meteorological Society annual meeting, January 2025. (https://ams.confex.com/ams/105ANNUAL/meetingapp.cgi/Session/71968)
- Jacob Inskeep: Introduction to NOAA’s Program of Record 2025 - PPT
- Dimitrios Vassiliadis: Coronal Observations from the Sun-Earth Line - PPT
- James Marshall: In Situ Measurements at L1 - PPT
- Elizabeth Kline: GOES-R Space Weather Observations - PPT
- John Braun: COSMIC-2 Measurements - PPT
- Steven Hill: SWPC on Data for Operational Users - PPT
- Nazila Merati: NCEI on Data for Retrospective Users - PPT
- Erin Lynch: The Future: Space Weather Next Observations - PPT
Presentations on user readiness for SWFO data from the special session on “User Readiness for Space Weather Data from NOAA Program of Record-2025 Missions" during the Space Weather Workshop of April 2024.
- Dimitris Vassiliadis: SWFO and Earlier Missions at L1 - PDF
- Steven Hill: SWPC Operational Products - PDF
- William Rowland: NCEI Retrospective Products and Cal/Val - PDF
- Nazila Merati: NCEI Archiving of SWFO Data at NCEI using the NOAA Cloud - PDF
More presentations from that session can be found in the workshop agenda (PDF).
Education and Public Outreach
- Wikipedia lemma on SWFO-L1
- CCOR-1 First Public Image
- NOAA's Compact Coronagraph (CCOR): Transforming Space Weather Forecasts
- SWFO NOAA's SWFO-L1: Official Mission Trailer
- SWFO-L1: NOAA's First Satellite Dedicated to Space Weather Observations
- SWFO Program
- SWFO-L1 Mission
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