NASA, NOAA Deploy Last GOES-R Advanced Weather Satellite

NASA has launched the fourth and final satellite in the GOES-R series. Propelled into space by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Tuesday, GOES-U will gather advanced insights into weather and environmental conditions in the Western Hemisphere on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

NASA and the NOAA kicked off the GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) program in 1975 with GOES-1. Using its visible infrared spin-scan radiometer (VISSR), GOES-1 snapped day and night images of terrestrial cloud conditions and otherwise helped the NOAA monitor weather events, which were used to enhance weather prediction models back at home. Since then, over a dozen additional GOES satellites have followed, each belonging to one of four generations. The last of these generations is GOES-R, which began with the titular GOES-R satellite launched in 2016. 

As of today, all four GOES-R satellites are in space. GOES-U launched June 25 at 5:36 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. At 10:18 p.m., the spacecraft’s solar arrays deployed, enabling it to operate on its own power as it settles into geostationary orbit roughly 22,000 miles above Earth. Once it gets there, GOES-U will be renamed GOES-19 in accordance with the NOAA’s GOES satellite naming convention. 

Credit: NOAA/NASA

Together, the NOAA’s GOES constellation captures terrestrial weather data that enhances forecasters’ predictions here on Earth. But it’s not just about making the weather app on your smartphone more precise; the GOES mission supports extreme weather monitoring and the pursuit of long-term atmospheric data. By supplying scientists with information about air quality, vegetative health, sea surface temperature, wildfire progression, and the hallmarks of flash floods, GOES could transform how we prepare for deadly weather events or manage certain parts of our food supply. The satellites also help scientists predict and monitor near-Earth space weather that might interfere with satellite or radio communications, such as geomagnetic storms. 

While GOES-16, GOES-17, and GOES-18 have captured some stunning images so far, GOES-U/GOES-19 will feature a new instrument, the Compact Cornograph-1, which NASA says will “block the Sun’s bright light so scientists can observe the relatively fainter solar atmosphere.” The instrument will largely be used to detect coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. The final GOES satellite is expected to reach orbit in about two weeks.