Plain Language Summary
The Lightning Imaging Sensor on the International Space Station (ISS LIS) has been operating on-orbit since February 2017. The instrument has met all of its major science objectives, including detecting lightning day and night, identifying the specific locations within storms that are producing lightning, millisecond timing accuracy, and high probability of detecting lightning. The instrument also measures energy emitted by lightning, provides background images of storms and their surroundings, and delivers realtime lightning data. This has enabled enrichment and extension of the long-term global climatology of lightning from space, and provides more recent extension of the global record to higher latitudes (+/- 55 degrees). In addition, the instrument is serving as a standard for comparison to other spaceborne lightning sensors, such as the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). The realtime data from ISS LIS have enabled new applications for the benefit of the public, including weather forecasting and public safety. Finally, ISS LIS - in conjunction with other satellite instruments - is providing opportunities for new scientific study in areas such as lightning physics, thunderstorm processes, and atmospheric composition.