Engineers work on the GOES-S satellite, which is scheduled to be launched into space on March 1, 2018. It will provide forecasters with faster and more detailed information on storms, hurricanes and other weather events

(NOAA)

At a Glance

NASA will be conducting a series of launches over the next six months.The first spacecraft to be sent up is the GOES-S weather satellite.The satellite will provide researchers with more detailed information on weather events.

A high-powered weather satellite will be the first object sent into space in a series of launches NASA willconductover the next six months.

The GOES-S will provide forecasters with , hurricanes and other weather events thanks to its improved imaging capabilities, according to a NOAA release. On March 1, it will be sent to join GOES-16, its sister satellite that was sent into space in November 2016.

“We expect GOES-S to be the perfect partner to its sister satellite, GOES-16, whose early returns have surpassed our expectations,”Tim Gallaudet,assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere for the Department of Commerce at NOAA, said in the release. “The revolutionary technology on these satellites, coupled with the skill of NOAA forecasters, will lead ultimately to more lives saved.”

The satellite will also help forecastersspot wildfires shortly after they begin and track them as they intensify, as well as monitor and predict fog's formation and evaporation, according to NOAA. It will be focused on the western portion of the U.S. and the eastern portion of the Pacific Ocean.

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In September, the ICESat-2 will be sent into orbit carrying a laser that can and determine how they impact sea levels, according to NASA. It will monitor changes in ice sheets and glaciers, estimate the thickness of sea ice and measure the heights of forest vegetation, as well as other ecosystems.

Information collected by the satellite will also help researchers learn more about climate change's impact on the frozen regions of the planet.

NASA's list of launches also includes the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which will seek out planets orbiting other stars;the Insight lander, which will travel to Mars in May; and the Parker Solar Probe, which will fly , Spaceflight Now reported.

In addition to helping researchers better understand the sun, the Parker Probe could also helpcreate better forecasts of solar storms and other space-weather events that can interfere with electronics , according to NASA.

The space agency is still trying to determine a launch date for the ICON satellite, whichwill study how Earth’s atmosphere and solar activity interact, Spaceflight Now also reported. It was supposed to launch last year but was postponed due to issues with its functionality.