 Artist's impression of a GOES-I series satellite in orbit | |
| Mission type | Weather satellite |
|---|---|
| Operator | NOAA / NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1994-022A |
| SATCATno. | 23051 |
| Mission duration | 3-5 years (planned) 10 years (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | LS-1300 |
| Manufacturer | Space Systems/Loral |
| Launch mass | 2,105 kilograms (4,641 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 13 April 1994, 06:04 (1994-04-13UTC06:04Z) UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas I |
| Launch site | Cape CanaveralLC-36B |
| Contractor | Martin Marietta |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Decommissioned |
| Deactivated | 5 May 2004 (2004-05-06) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 75° West |
| Slot | GOES-EAST (1995-2003) |
| Eccentricity | 0.0005384 |
| Perigee altitude | 36,151 kilometres (22,463 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 36,197 kilometres (22,492 mi) |
| Inclination | 10.89° |
| Period | 1,456.0 minutes |
GOES-8, known asGOES-I before becoming operational, was an Americanweather satellite, which formed part of the USNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration'sGeostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system. It was launched in 1994, and operated until 2004 when it was retired and boosted to agraveyard orbit.[1][2] At launch, the satellite had a mass of 2,105 kilograms (4,641 lb), and an expected operational lifespan of three or five years.[3][4] It was built bySpace Systems/Loral, based on theLS-1300 satellite bus, and was the first of five GOES-I series satellites to be launched.
GOES-I was launched aboard aMartin MariettaAtlas I rocket, flying fromLaunch Complex 36B at theCape Canaveral Air Force Station.[5] The launch occurred at 06:04 GMT on 13 April 1994,[5] and placed the satellite into ageosynchronous transfer orbit. It was then raised intogeostationary orbit by means of anR-4D-11apogee motor.[3] During the first burn of the apogee motor, an unusually high temperature was detected in one of theflanges upon which a thruster was mounted,[6] however later analysis, based on satellites using similar thruster systems, demonstrated that it was still acceptable.[6] During the third burn, a malfunction of the computer controlling the attitude control system caused several manoeuvring thrusters to fire. This resulted in the burn being aborted.[6]
GOES-8 was eventually raised to the correct orbit, and positioned at alongitude of 75° West.[4][7] Following on-orbit testing, it was activated as the GOES-EAST satellite, allowingGOES-7, which had previously been covering both positions, to assume GOES-WEST operations.
GOES-8 suffered from a design fault with the motor windings in its imager and sounder, with one of two sets failing within a few years of it becoming operational. If the other set had failed, it would have made the system inoperable. This fault also occurred on theGOES-9 satellite, which was launched in 1995. It was corrected beforeGOES-10 was launched.[8] In 1997, one of its momentum wheels failed, however unlike with GOES-9, the other wheel was not affected, and the satellite was able to continue operations.[4] GOES-8 was also featured in the 1996 filmTwister.
GOES-8 was retired from GOES-EAST operations in 2003, when it was replaced byGOES-12.[9] Following this it remained in storage for a year as a backup, before being boosted to agraveyard orbit between 4 and 5 May 2004.[4]
| SMS (predecessor) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| SMS derived | ||
| 1st generation | ||
| 2nd generation | ||
| 3rd generation | ||
| 4th generation | ||
