The NOAA QuickPUNCH project

Coronagraph observations are an essential component of the space weather forecasting system at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). Coronagraphs allow us to identify and track coronal mass ejections, which are a primary driver for geoeffective space weather. For the past two decades, NOAA has relied on data from the SOHO/LASCO coronagraph. Recently, NOAA has been taking steps to mitigate an awareness gap that would exist if LASCO became inoperable. In addition to commissioning two operations-ready coronagraphs, NOAA has also commissioned a study to determine how NASA's PUNCH mission might provide low-latency data to forecasters at SWPC. That project, known as QuickPUNCH, will be described in this presentation.