 GOES-8, a decommissioned weather satellite. | |
| Manufacturer | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Operator | |
| Specifications | |
| Bus | |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Production | |
| Status | In service |
| Launched | 18 |
| Operational | 4 |
| Retired | 13 |
| Failed | 1 |
| Maiden launch | GOES-1 |
| Last launch | GOES-U |
| Related spacecraft | |
| Derived from | Synchronous Meteorological Satellite |
| Derivatives | Geostationary Extended Observations |
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TheGeostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), operated by the United States'National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'sNational Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service division, supportsweather forecasting, severe storm tracking, andmeteorology research. Spacecraft and ground-based elements of the system work together to provide a continuous stream of environmental data. TheNational Weather Service (NWS) and theMeteorological Service of Canada use the GOES system for their North American weather monitoring and forecasting operations, and scientific researchers use the data to better understand land, atmosphere, ocean, and climate dynamics.
The GOES system usesgeosynchronous equatorial satellites that, since the launch ofSMS-1 in 1974, have been a basic element of U.S. weather monitoring and forecasting.
The procurement, design, and manufacture of GOES satellites is overseen byNASA.
NOAA is the official provider of both GOES terrestrial data and GOES space weather data. Data can also be accessed using theSPEDAS software.
The first GOES satellite, GOES-1, was launched in October 1975. Two more followed, launching almost two minutes short of a year apart, on 16 June 1977 and 1978 respectively. Prior to the GOES satellites twoSynchronous Meteorological Satellites (SMS) satellites had been launched;SMS-1 in May 1974, andSMS-2 in February 1975. The SMS-derived satellites were spin-stabilized spacecraft, which provided imagery through aVisible and Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer, or VISSR. The first three GOES satellites used aPhilco-Ford bus developed for the earlierSynchronous Meteorological Satellites (SMS) generation.[1]
Following the three SMS GOES spacecraft, five satellites were procured fromHughes, which became the first generation GOES satellites. Four of these reached orbit, withGOES-G being lost in a launch failure.[2]
The next five GOES satellites were constructed bySpace Systems/Loral, under contract to NASA.[3] The imager and sounder instruments were produced byITT Aerospace/Communication Division. GOES-8 and -9 were designed to operate for three years, while -10, -11 and -12 have expected lifespans of five years. GOES-11 and -12 were launched carrying enough fuel for ten years of operation, in the event that they survived beyond their expected lifespan.
A contract to develop four third-generation GOES satellites was awarded toHughes Corporation, with the satellites scheduled for launch onDelta III rockets between 2002 and 2010.[4] After a merger with Hughes,Boeing took over the development contracts, with launches transferred to theDelta IV, following the Delta III's retirement. The contract for the fourth satellite, GOES-Q, was later cancelled.[5] The first third-generation satellite, GOES-13, was launched in May 2006, originally serving as an on-orbit backup.[6] However, in April 2010, GOES-12 was moved to South America coverage and GOES-13 was moved to the GOES-East role.[7] Third generation satellites have an expected lifespan of seven years, but will carry excess fuel to allow them to operate for longer if possible, as with the last two-second generation satellites.
| Status | Longitude | Satellite |
|---|---|---|
| GOES-East | 75° W | GOES-16 |
| GOES-West | 137° W | GOES-18 |
| GOES-South | 60° W | Vacant |
The fourth-generation satellites, the GOES-R series,[9] were built byLockheed Martin using theA2100 satellite bus. The GOES-R series is a four-satellite program (GOES-R, -S, -T and -U) intended to extend the availability of the operational GOES satellite system through 2036.[10] GOES-R launched on 19 November 2016.[9] It was renamedGOES-16 upon reaching orbit. Second of the series GOES-S, was launched on 1 March 2018. It was renamedGOES-17 upon reaching orbit.
Four GOES satellites are available for operational use.
GOES-14 is in storage at 105° W. The launch of this satellite, which was designated GOES-O before orbiting, was delayed several times.[11][12] It was launched successfully on 27 June 2009 from Space Launch Complex 37, on a Delta IV Medium rocket,[13] aDelta IV M+ (4,2). It underwent Post-Launch Testing until December 2009 and then was placed in on-orbit storage.[14] This satellite is a part of the GOES-N Series. GOES-14 has been and will be activated should another GOES satellite suffer a problem or be decommissioned.[15] It was temporarily designated GOES-East because of technical difficulties with GOES-13 and moved towards the GOES-East location. After resolution of those problems, GOES-14 was returned to storage.[16]
GOES-15, which was designated GOES-P before orbiting, was launched successfully on 4 March 2010,[17][18] on aDelta IV M+ (4,2). From 2011 to 2018, it occupied the GOES-West position at 135°W over the Pacific Ocean.[19] It moved eastward to 128° W beginning on 29 October 2018 in order to make room forGOES-17, which took over the GOES-West position on 10 December 2018.[20] GOES-15 operated in tandem with GOES-17 for some time, but was retired in early 2020 and moved to a parking orbit.[21][22] GOES-15 was temporarily returned to operational status in August 2020 to fill a gap in the sensor capabilities of GOES-17 due to a hardware issue.
GOES-16 occupies the GOES-East position at 75° W. This satellite, which was designated GOES-R before orbiting, was launched by anAtlas V 541 rocket fromSpace Launch Complex 41 atCape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on 19 November 2016.[23] It underwent Post-Launch Testing through early 2017 before replacing GOES-13 as GOES-East.
GOES-17 occupies the GOES-West position at 137.2° W. The satellite, designated as GOES-S before orbiting, was launched by an Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 on 1 March 2018.[24] Following post-launch testing and troubleshooting of a problem in its imager, the satellite was declared operational in February 2019.
Several GOES satellites are still in orbit but are either inactive or have been re-purposed.
AlthoughGOES-3 ceased to be used for weather operations in 1989, it spent over 20 years as a critical part of communications between the U.S. andAmundsen–Scott South Pole Station before being decommissioned in 2016.[25] Geostationary satellites expend fuel to keep themselves stationary over the equator, and thus cannot normally ordinarily be seen from the poles. When that fuel is depleted, solar and lunar perturbations increase the satellite's inclination so that itsground track begins to describe ananalemma (a figure-8 in the north–south direction). This usually ends the satellite's primary mission. However, when the inclination is high enough the satellite may begin to rise above the polar horizons at the extremes of the figure-8, as was the case for GOES-3. A nine-meter dish was constructed at the station, and communication with the satellite could be obtained for about five hours per day. Data rates were around 2.048 megabytes/second (bi-directional) under optimum conditions.
GOES-8, which was designated GOES-I before orbiting, was the GOES-East satellite when it was in operation. It is in a parking orbit and is drifting westerly at a rate of about 4° daily.[26] It was decommissioned on 1 April 2003 and deactivated on 5 May 2004 after the failure of its propulsion system.[27]
GOES-10, which was designated GOES-K before orbiting, was decommissioned on 2 December 2009 and was boosted to agraveyard orbit. It no longer had the fuel for required maneuvers to keep it on station.[28]
GOES-11, which was designated GOES-L before orbiting, had a partial failure on 6 December 2011. It was decommissioned on 16 December 2011 and boosted into a graveyard orbit.
GOES-12, which was designated GOES-M before orbiting, was decommissioned on 16 August 2013 and boosted into a graveyard orbit.[29]
GOES-13, which was designated GOES-N before orbiting, was decommissioned on 3 January 2018 and boosted into storage orbit. It was transferred to theU.S. Space Force and positioned at 61.5ºE under the new name EWS-G1. Following three years of monitoring the Indian Ocean, EWS-G1 was retired on 31 October 2023 when EWS-G2 (formerly GOES-15) took over.
GOES-15, which was designated GOES-P before orbiting, was launched successfully on 4 March 2010.[17][18] From 2011 to 2018, it occupied the GOES-West position at 135°W over the Pacific Ocean.[19] It moved eastward to 128° W beginning on 29 October 2018 in order to make room forGOES-17, which took over the GOES-West position on 10 December 2018.[20] GOES-15 operated in tandem with GOES-17 for some time, but was retired in early 2020 and moved to a parking orbit.[21][22] GOES-15 was temporarily returned to operational status in August 2020 to fill a gap in the sensor capabilities of GOES-17 due to a hardware issue. Like GOES-13, GOES-15 was then transferred to the U.S. Space Force and renamed EWS-G2 to monitor the Indian Ocean until approximately 2030.
Designed to operate ingeostationary orbit 35,790 kilometres (22,240 mi) above the Earth, the GOES spacecraft continuously view thecontinental United States, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans,Central America,South America, and southern Canada. The three-axis, body-stabilized design enables the sensors to "stare" at the Earth and thus more frequently image clouds, monitor the Earth's surface temperature andwater vapour fields, and sound the atmosphere for its vertical thermal and vapor structures. The evolution ofatmospheric phenomena can be followed, ensuring real-time coverage of meteorological events such as severe local storms andtropical cyclones. The importance of this capability was proven during hurricanesHugo (1989) andAndrew (1992).
The GOES spacecraft also enhance operational services and improve support for atmospheric science research,numerical weather prediction models, and environmental sensor design and development.
Satellite data is broadcast on theL-band, and received at the NOAA Command and Data Acquisitionground station atWallops Island, Virginia[30] from which it is disseminated to users. Additionally, anyone may receive data directly from the satellites by utilizing a smalldish, and processing the data with special software.[31]
The GOES satellites are controlled from the Satellite Operations Control Center in Suitland, Maryland. During significant weather or other events, the normal schedules can be altered to provide the coverage requested by the NWS and other agencies.
GOES-12 and above also have provided a platform for the Solar X-Ray Imager (SXI) and space environment monitoring (SEM) instruments.
The SXI provides high-cadence monitoring of large scale solar structures to support the Space Environment Services Center's (SESC) mission. The SXI unit on GOES-13, however, was damaged by a solar flare in 2006. The SESC, as the nation's "space weather" service, receives, monitors, and interprets a wide variety of solar-terrestrial data. It also issues reports, alerts, and forecasts for special events such as solar flares or geomagnetic storms. This information is important to the operation of military and civilian radio wave and satellite communication and navigation systems. The information also is important to electric power networks, the missions of geophysical explorers, Space Station astronauts, high-altitude aviators, and scientific researchers.
The SEM measures the effect of the Sun on the near-Earth solar-terrestrial electromagnetic environment, providing real-time data to the SESC.
The main mission of a GOES satellite is carried out by the primary payload instruments, which are the Imager and the Sounder. The Imager is a multichannel instrument that senses infraredradiant energy and visiblereflected solar energy from the Earth's surface and atmosphere. The Sounder provides data for vertical atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles, surface and cloud top temperature, andozone distribution.
GOES also offers theData Collection System, a ground-based meteorological platformsatellite data collection and relay service.[33]Other instruments on board the spacecraft are the SEM set, which consists of amagnetometer, anX-ray sensor, a high energyproton andalpha particle detector, and an energetic particles sensor.
The GOES-N series (GOES-13 through GOES-15) spacecraft also have a sun-pointed extreme ultraviolet sensor.
In addition, the GOES satellites carry a search and rescue repeater that collects data fromEmergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons and Emergency Locator Transmitter beacons, which are used during search-and-rescue operations by the U.S.Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.
The proposed instrument package for the GOES-R series initially included the following:[34][35]
In September 2006, the HES was cancelled.
Before being launched, GOES satellites are designated by letters (A, B, C, etc.). Once a GOES satellite is launched successfully, it is redesignated with a number (1, 2, 3, etc.). So, GOES-A to GOES-F became GOES-1 to GOES-6. BecauseGOES-G was a launch failure, it never received a number. GOES-H to GOES-R became GOES-7 to GOES-16 (skipping GOES-Q, which was not built).
Once operational, the different locations used by the satellites are given a name corresponding to the regions they cover. These are GOES-East and GOES-West, which watch the eastern and western halves of the U.S., respectively. GOES-East is occupied by GOES-16,[36] while GOES-West is occupied by GOES-17. The -East/-West designation is used more frequently than the satellite's number designation. GOES-IO (Indian Ocean), a new designation revealed in early May 2020, is currently occupied by GOES-13 (DOD-1).[37]
There was also a GOES-South position, which is meant to provide dedicated coverage of South America. Before the GOES-R series became operational, unless a satellite was dedicated to this continent, imagery of South America was updated every 3 hours instead of every 30 minutes.[38] The GOES-South station was usually assigned to older satellites whose North American operations have been taken over by new satellites. For example, GOES-10 was moved from the GOES-West position to GOES-South after it was replaced in the -West station by GOES-11. When GOES-10 was decommissioned on 1 December 2009, GOES-South was taken over by GOES-12. Since the retirement of GOES-12 on 16 August 2013, the GOES-South station has been unoccupied. GOES-16 has since made the need for a dedicated GOES-South satellite obsolete; as of 2019, the satellite produces full disk images every 10 minutes.
In September 2006, NOAA reduced the planned number of GOES-R satellites from four to two because of cost overrun concerns. The planned delivery schedule was also slowed down to reduce costs. The expected cost of the series is$7.69 billion, a $670 million increase from the prior $7 billion estimate.[39]
The contract for constructing the satellites and manufacturing the magnetometer, SUVI, and GLM was awarded to Lockheed Martin. This award was challenged by losing bidder Boeing;[40] however, the protest was subsequently dismissed.
The ABI instrument was delivered byL3Harris (formerlyITT Exelis).[41] The SEISS was delivered by Assurance Technology Corporation.
XRS and EUVS are being combined into the Extreme Ultra Violet and X-Ray Irradiance Sensors (EXIS), which was delivered by theLaboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics of theUniversity of Colorado.[42]
The contract for the ground system, including data processing, was awarded to a team led by the Weather Systems division ofL3Harris, including subcontracts to Boeing, Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER),Honeywell, Carr Astronautics,Wyle Laboratories, andAres.[43]
GOES spacecraft have been manufactured byBoeing (GOES-D through -H and GOES-N through -P) andSpace Systems/Loral (GOES-A through -C and GOES-I through -M). The GOES-I series (I-M) and the GOES-N series (N-P) are documented in the"GOES I–M Databook" and the"GOES-N Series Databook", respectively. The GOES-R series was built byLockheed Martin with the first and second in the series, GOES-16 and -17, declared operational in early 2019.[44] Following an equipment failure on GOES-17, it was replaced by GOES-18 in January 2023, with the former taken out of service to act as a backup.[45]
Boeing would have built and launched GOES-Q only if GOES-O or GOES-P had failed to be delivered on-orbit in good working order.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration.
| SMS (predecessor) | | |
|---|---|---|
| SMS derived | ||
| 1st generation | ||
| 2nd generation | ||
| 3rd generation | ||
| 4th generation | ||
