NOAA L, the second in a series of five polar-orbiting satellites, photographs each kilometer on Earth twice a day to help anticipate hurricanes, tornadoes and other storm patterns before they emerge, and help make long-range climate forecasts.

The 0.6-mile (1-kilometer) resolution is an improvement from previous satellites that had 19.9-mile (32-kilometer) range resolution, said John Jones, deputy director of the National Weather Service at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), at a press conference.

"That's smaller than any of our models right now," he said of the resolution. "It will help us better understand the mechanisms of larger storms."

The satellite, circling the globe 14 times a day, will also measure sea-surface temperatures and can, for the first time, differentiate between clouds and ice cover to help anticipate flooding caused by melting ice.

The satellite, to be launched aboard a refurbished Titan 4 rocket, will replace the aging, six-year-old NOAA 14 craft, said Gary Davis, director of the office of systems and development at NOAA's environmental satellite, data and information service.

The cost to launch and run NOAA L for 12 years is $267 million.

NOAA L is the eighth satellite to carry search-and-rescue equipment -- antennas, processors and transmitters that communicate with ships, aircraft and individuals in distress that sound an emergency beacon.

"It will reduce the waiting time" for rescuers to reach those caught in emergencies, said Ajay Mehta, NOAA Search and Rescue manager. Mehta said 11,000 people have been saved in satellite-aided rescues since 1982, mostly of them on commercial ships lost at sea.

Polar-orbiting satellites are used in combination with geostationary satellites -- whose orbits match Earth's rotation to constantly track one geographic area -- to bring a continuous stream of weather and climate data.

The polar orbit is lower in altitude, allowing a closer look at hurricanes and thunderstorms that can become tornadoes, Jones said.

Early warning of the erratic weather phenomena known as La Niña and El Niño could be obtained months in advance, Davis said.

This new satellite will also give other countries outside of the U.S. a weather-tracking advantage, enabling them to read low-resolution data each time the satellite passes overhead.

Meteorologists in other countries can obtain 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) resolution data by using a receiver, and can view weather images on a personal computer, Davis said.

"Many, many Third World countries who could not get the data any other way can get it from this satellite...and it is free and open," he said.