NASA successfully launched the fourth and final satellite in a series of advanced weather satellites for NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) at 5:26 pm EDT on Tuesday. GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) will benefit the nation by providing continuous coverage of weather and hazardous environmental conditions over much of the Western Hemisphere.
“As communities around the country and the world feel the effects of extreme weather, satellites like GOES-U monitor the weather in real time,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “NASA and NOAA have worked together for decades to bring critical data back to Earth to prepare for severe storms, fire detection and much more. This fleet of advanced satellites is strengthening resilience to our changing climate and protecting humanity from weather hazards on Earth and in space.
In addition to its critical role in predicting terrestrial weather, the GOES constellation of satellites helps forecasters predict near-Earth space weather that can interfere with satellite electronics, GPS and radio communications. The GOES-U satellite goes beyond the capabilities of its predecessors with a new space weather instrument, the Compact Coronograph-1, which blocks bright sunlight so scientists can observe the relatively fainter solar atmosphere.
“There are so many applications for GOES data — many of which directly impact our daily lives here on Earth,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “GOES-U will add to the global data record, allowing NASA and NOAA to track changes in our climate and also provide critical information before severe weather and natural disasters strike. NASA looks forward to teaming up with NOAA again as we enter the next generation of Earth-observing satellites.”
Once GOES-U is in geostationary orbit, about 22,200 miles above Earth, it will be renamed GOES-19. After a successful on-orbit check of its instruments and systems, GOES-19 will enter service, observing weather over much of North America, including the United States and neighboring Mexico, as well as Central and South America. , the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of Africa.
“The data that GOES-U will provide is critical to protecting the safety of people in the Western Hemisphere,” said John Gagosian, director, NASA’s Joint Agency Satellite Division. “With this successful launch, forecasters will have a resource to better inform and educate the public.”
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, oversaw the acquisition of the GOES-R spacecraft and instruments and built the magnetometer for GOES-U and its predecessor, GOES-T. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, provided launch management for the mission.
The GOES-R Series program is overseen by NOAA, through an integrated NOAA-NASA office that manages the ground system, operates the satellites, and distributes data to users around the world. Lockheed Martin designs, builds and tests the GOES-R series satellites. L3Harris Technologies provides the main instrument payload, the advanced baseline imager and the ground system, which includes the data acquisition antenna system.
For more information about GOES, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/content/goes
-end-
Liz Vlock
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov
Peter Jacobs
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
301-286-0535
peter.jacobs@nasa.gov
Leejay Lockhart
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-747-8310
leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov