 GOES-L before launch | |
| Mission type | Weather satellite |
|---|---|
| Operator | NOAA / NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 2000-022A |
| SATCATno. | 26352 |
| Mission duration | 5 years (planned) 10+ years (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | LS-1300 |
| Manufacturer | Space Systems/Loral |
| Launch mass | 2,217 kilograms (4,888 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 3 May 2000, 07:07 (2000-05-03UTC07:07Z) UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas IIA |
| Launch site | Cape CanaveralSLC-36A |
| Contractor | ILS |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Decommissioned |
| Deactivated | 16 December 2011 (2011-12-17) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 104° West (2000-2006) 135° West (2006-2011) |
| Slot | GOES-WEST (2006-2011) |
| Semi-major axis | 42,512 kilometres (26,416 mi) |
| Perigee altitude | 36,127.7 kilometres (22,448.7 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 36,155.9 kilometres (22,466.2 mi) |
| Inclination | 4.2° |
| Period | 1,453.9 minutes |
GOES-11, known asGOES-L before becoming operational, is an Americanweather satellite, which is part of the USNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration'sGeostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system. It was launched in 2000, and operated at the GOES-WEST position, providing coverage of the west coast of the United States until providing its last image on December 6, 2011, and being decommissioned on December 16, 2011.[1][2][3][4]
GOES-L was launched aboard anInternational Launch ServicesAtlas IIA rocket,[5] flying fromSpace Launch Complex 36A at theCape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch occurred at 07:07UTC on 3 May.[6] The launch was originally scheduled for 15 March 1999, however it was delayed to allow theEutelsat W3 satellite to be launched first.[6][7] Following this, it was rescheduled for 15 May. On 30 April, theCentaur upper stage of aTitan IV(401)B failed during the launch ofUSA-143. Since a version of the Centaur was also used on the Atlas II, the launch of GOES-L was delayed a week to ensure that the same problem would not affect its launch. Less than five days after the Titan failure, aDelta III failed to launchOrion 3. The failure occurred during the second stage restart, and as the Delta III and Atlas II both usedRL10 engines on their second stages, this resulted in a further delay.[7]
When the Centaur was cleared for flight in August 1999, GOES-L was rescheduled to launch in November. This then slipped to December in order to allow aUFO to launch ahead of it, before slipping again when aDSCS launch was added to the manifest. In January 2000, a launch date of 3 May was announced. In late April arange conflict withSpace Shuttle Discovery on missionSTS-96 threatened to delay the launch, however the Shuttle was damaged byhail, necessitating arollback to theVehicle Assembly Building, so a delay to GOES-L was not necessary. The launch on 3 May occurred successfully, forty minutes into thelaunch window.[7] At launch, the satellite had a mass of 2,217 kilograms (4,888 lb), and an expected operational lifespan of five years, although it carried fuel for longer.[8] It was built bySpace Systems/Loral, based on theLS-1300 satellite bus, and was the fourth of five GOES-I series satellites to be launched.
Following launch, GOES-11 was positioned ingeostationary orbit at alongitude of 104° West for testing and on-orbit storage. In 2006, it was moved to 135° West[9] to replace theGOES-10 satellite, which was about to run out of fuel.[3] By the time it entered service, it had already been in orbit for a year past the end of its design life. Its late entry into service was partly because GOES-10 exceeded its design life by over six years, and partly becauseGOES-12 was brought into service ahead of GOES-11 in order to allow use of a new instrument that it carried.[10]
On December 6, 2011, GOES-11 provided its final image and was replaced byGOES-15. On December 15, 2011, the booster was fired to move the satellite 185 miles (298 km)above its previous orbit, and it was officially decommissioned on December 16, 2011.[11][12][4]
| SMS (predecessor) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| SMS derived | ||
| 1st generation | ||
| 2nd generation | ||
| 3rd generation | ||
| 4th generation | ||
