WASHINGTON, June 25,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 p.m. EDT
Tuesday. The GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental
Satellite) will benefit the nation by providing continuous coverage
of weather and hazardous environmental conditions across much of
the Western Hemisphere.
The satellite launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from
Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy
Space Center in Florida.
Mission managers confirmed at 10:18
p.m. the spacecraft's solar arrays successfully deployed,
and the spacecraft was operating on its own power.
"As communities across the country and the world feel the
effects of extreme weather, satellites like GOES-U keep a close
watch to monitor weather in real time," said NASA Administrator
Bill Nelson. "NASA and NOAA have
worked together for several decades to bring critical data back
down 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 terrestrial weather
prediction, the GOES constellation of satellites helps forecasters
predict space weather near Earth 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
the Sun's bright light so scientists can observe the relatively
fainter solar atmosphere.
"There are so many applications for GOES data - many of which
directly impact our everyday 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 a geostationary orbit, about 22,200 miles
above Earth, it will be renamed GOES-19. Following a successful
orbital checkout of its instruments and systems, GOES-19 will go
into service, keeping watch of the weather over most of
North America, including the
contiguous United States and
Mexico, as well as Central and
South America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean to 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 series 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 worldwide.
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 antenna system for data reception.
For more information about GOES, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/content/goes
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SOURCE NASA