With the potential t
o save lives, Lockheed Martin’s Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) will provide earlier alerts of developing tornados and severe storms by monitoring lightning on a continental scale. The 500 frame per second CCD imager with variable pixel size (STA3900A) at the heart of the GLM was developed by Semiconductor Technology Associates, Inc. The variable pixel size provides a near uniform mapping of the curved surface of the earth. This, in conjunction with the 500 frame per second readout rate and excellent system optical throughput, establishes 70-90% flash detection day and night. The GLM will fly on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-R Series environmental satellites beginning in 2016. The Lockheed Martin press release can be read here.