BRIEF: Better Weather Forecasts Coming, Thanks to Space Tech

(TNS) — This year will bring improved weather forecasting through the use of satellites and GPS in space, according to Harvard astrophysicist Dr. Jonathan McDowell.

McDowell said we will start to see a lot of “real applications” of space as it is becoming “more and more part of everyday life.”

McDowell said that satellites in orbit looking toward the horizon interact with GPS setting behind the earth. “The distortion of the signal can let you measure temperature and pressure in the atmosphere.”

That level of analysis can lead to better weather forecasts, McDowell said.

The technology can also be profitable for companies looking to sell the weather data to the government.

“People are starting to be imaginative about how you use these capabilities in space to make money,” said McDowell.

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