GOES Satellite Data Guide

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) provide continuous monitoring from fixed positions above the equator. Our platform offers four specialized endpoints for accessing different GOES product types: X-ray flux, extreme UV irradiance, magnetometer data, and energetic particle fluxes.

Overview

Satellite Network: GOES satellites are stationed in geostationary orbit (~35,786 km altitude), providing continuous real-time coverage. Each satellite carries the EXIS, EPS, and MAG instruments.

Data Coverage: 2016-present (GOES-16+)
Update Frequency: Real-time (some delays for post-processing)
Total Records: 34M+ measurements across 4 satellites
Orbital Position: Geostationary (fixed over same Earth location)

Active Satellites

Satellite	Status	Coverage	Region	Data Focus
GOES-16	Operational	Primary East	Eastern Hemisphere	All products
GOES-17	Operational	Primary West	Western Hemisphere	All products
GOES-18	Operational	Backup	Variable	All products
GOES-19	Operational	Standby	Variable	All products

Product-Specific Endpoints

GOES data is organized into four specialized endpoints, each returning complete measurements for that product type:

/goes/xrsf - X-Ray Sensor Flux Data

Purpose: Solar X-ray measurements used for detecting and classifying solar flares.

Key Fields:

• xrsa_flux, xrsb_flux - X-ray flux in long/short wavelength bands (W/m²)
• xrsa_flux_observed, xrsb_flux_observed - Observed flux values
• xrsa_flux_electrons, xrsb_flux_electrons - Electron precipitation contribution
• xrsa1_flux, xrsa2_flux, xrsb1_flux, xrsb2_flux - Individual channel measurements
• xrsa_flag, xrsb_flag - Data quality flags (0 = good)
• roll_angle - Spacecraft roll angle (degrees)
• yaw_flip_flag - Yaw flip maneuver status

Usage: Monitor solar activity, identify flares, track solar cycles

/goes/euvs - Extreme Ultraviolet Irradiance Data

Purpose: Solar extreme ultraviolet spectral irradiance measurements for upper atmosphere forcing.

Key Fields:

• irr_256, irr_284, irr_304 - UV-A/B irradiance (W/m²)
• irr_1175, irr_1216 - Lyman-beta and Lyman-alpha irradiance (W/m²)
• irr_1335, irr_1405 - Infrared spectral irradiance (W/m²)
• mgii_standard, mgii_exis - Magnesium II solar activity proxy
• All irr_* fields include quality flags and sample counts

Usage: Model thermosphere response, track solar EUV variations, study photochemistry

/goes/magn - Magnetometer Data

Purpose: Earth's magnetic field measurements in multiple coordinate systems.

Key Fields:

• b_total - Total magnetic field magnitude (nanoTesla)
• b_eci - Field in ECI (Earth-Centered Inertial) coordinates
• b_gse - Field in GSE (Geocentric Solar Ecliptic) coordinates
• b_gsm - Field in GSM (Geocentric Solar Magnetospheric) coordinates
• b_vdh - Field in VDH (Van Allen) coordinate system
• attitude_quat - Spacecraft attitude quaternion
• orbit_llr_geo - Orbital position in Earth-fixed coordinates

Usage: Monitor magnetosphere, detect storms/substorms, study solar wind interaction

/goes/sgps - Energetic Particle Fluxes (Solar and Energetic Particle Sensor)

Purpose: Solar and radiation belt particle measurements.

Key Fields:

• avg_int_proton_flux, avg_int_proton_flux_observed - Integral proton flux (protons/cm²/s)
• avg_diff_proton_flux, avg_diff_proton_flux_observed - Differential proton flux by energy
• avg_diff_alpha_flux - Differential alpha particle flux by energy
• diff_proton_energy_* (lower, upper, effective) - Energy channel bounds (MeV)
• diff_alpha_energy_* - Alpha particle energy channels (MeV)
• integral_proton_effective_energy - Effective energy for integral measurement (MeV)

Usage: Detect solar energetic particle events, assess radiation belts, forecast space weather

API Usage Examples

Get X-ray flux data for a date range

Code
 
curl -X GET "https://api.mission.space/api/v1/goes/xrsf\
  ?start_time=2025-01-01T00:00:00Z\
  &end_time=2025-01-02T00:00:00Z\
  &satellite=GOES18\
  &limit=1000" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key"

Query UV irradiance data

Code
 
curl -X GET "https://api.mission.space/api/v1/goes/euvs\
  ?start_time=2025-01-01T00:00:00Z\
  &end_time=2025-01-02T00:00:00Z\
  &limit=500" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key"

Fetch magnetic field measurements

Code
 
curl -X GET "https://api.mission.space/api/v1/goes/magn\
  ?start_time=2025-01-01T00:00:00Z\
  &end_time=2025-01-02T00:00:00Z\
  &satellite=GOES18\
  &limit=1000" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key"

Get energetic particle data with pagination

Code
 
# First page
curl -X GET "https://api.mission.space/api/v1/goes/sgps\
  ?start_time=2025-01-01T00:00:00Z\
  &end_time=2025-01-31T23:59:59Z\
  &limit=10000\
  &offset=0" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key"

# Next page
curl -X GET "https://api.mission.space/api/v1/goes/sgps\
  ?start_time=2025-01-01T00:00:00Z\
  &end_time=2025-01-31T23:59:59Z\
  &limit=10000\
  &offset=10000" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key"

Response Structure

All GOES endpoints return the same JSON structure with endpoint-specific data:

Code
 
{
  "status": "success",
  "data": [
    {
      "timestamp": "2025-01-01T12:34:56Z",
      "satellite": "GOES16",
      "xrsa_flux": 1.23e-5,
      "xrsb_flux": 2.45e-6,
      "xrsa_flux_observed": 1.24e-5,
      "xrsb_flux_observed": 2.46e-6,
      "xrsa_flux_electrons": 0.0,
      "xrsb_flux_electrons": 0.0,
      "xrsa_flag": 0,
      "xrsb_flag": 0,
      "yaw_flip_flag": 0,
      "roll_angle": -0.5,
      "xrsa1_flux": 0.89e-5,
      "xrsa2_flux": 0.34e-5,
      "xrsb1_flux": 1.58e-6,
      "xrsb2_flux": 0.87e-6
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "total": 1440,
    "returned": 1,
    "limit": 1000,
    "offset": 0
  }
}

Common Use Cases

Solar Flare Detection & Classification

Monitor xrsa_flux and xrsb_flux to detect solar flares and classify by GOES classification system:

• A-class: < 1×10⁻⁸ W/m²
• B-class: 1-10 × 10⁻⁸ W/m²
• C-class: 1-10 × 10⁻⁷ W/m²
• M-class: 1-10 × 10⁻⁶ W/m²
• X-class: > 10⁻⁶ W/m²

Space Weather Forecasting

Track avg_int_proton_flux and avg_diff_alpha_flux from SGPS for solar energetic particle events and radiation belt dynamics.

Upper Atmosphere Modeling

Use EUVS irradiance data (irr_* fields) as input to thermosphere models like MSIS or JB2008.

Magnetosphere Research

Analyze MAGN coordinate transforms (b_gse, b_gsm) for magnetosphere substorm and storm studies.

Data Quality Notes

• Quality flags: 0 = good data, >0 = degraded or excluded data
• All flux values are in particles/(cm² · s) or W/m² as indicated
• Timestamps are in UTC
• Real-time GOES data may have slight updates within 48 hours
• Empty/null fields indicate missing data for that measurement

API Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description	Example
start_time	ISO 8601	Yes	Start of time range	2025-01-01T00:00:00Z
end_time	ISO 8601	Yes	End of time range	2025-01-02T00:00:00Z
satellite	String	No	Filter by satellite	GOES16
limit	Integer	No	Records per page (default 1000, max 10000)	5000
offset	Integer	No	Pagination offset	0

Instrument Guide

EXIS (Extreme ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensor)

Measures solar X-rays and UV radiation:

• XRS Channels: Detect and classify solar flares in real-time
• EUV Bands: Track solar extreme UV for thermosphere forcing
• MgII Index: Solar activity proxy used in climate modeling

EPS (Energetic Particle Sensor)

Detects solar and trapped radiation particles:

• Proton Channels: Early warning for solar energetic particle events
• Alpha Channels: Track helium nuclei from solar events
• Quality Indicators: DQF flags show data reliability

MAG (Magnetometer)

Measures Earth's magnetic field from geostationary orbit:

• Multiple Coordinate Systems: GSE, GSM, VDH, ECI for different analyses
• High Sensitivity: Detects subtle magnetospheric changes
• Continuous Coverage: Real-time magnetic field monitoring

See Also

• API Reference: /goes endpoints - Full endpoint documentation
• POES Data - Complementary polar satellite measurements
• Space Weather Indices - Geomagnetic activity indices
• Atmospheric Models - JB2008 and MSIS thermosphere models