Satellite launches to keep an eye on space weather [Video]

Forecasters will soon be able to see real-time mapping of lightning activity on Earth and keep a closer eye on solar storms unleashed by the sun thanks to a new weather satellite.Together, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration launched GOES-U, or the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U mission, on Tuesday.The weather satellite lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:26 p.m. ET. The launch streamed live on NASA’s website. Weather conditions in Florida were 60% favorable for a launch at the beginning of the launch window.GOES-U is the fourth, final satellite in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites R Series, “the Western Hemisphere’s most sophisticated weather-observing and environmental-monitoring system,” according to NOAA.”The GOES-R series of satellites has been a game changer for us,” said Ken Graham, director of NOAA’s National Weather Service, during a Monday news conference. “Since the first launch …