NASA set to launch advanced weather satellite into orbit for NOAA from Florida’s Space Coast
NASA is preparing to launch an advanced weather satellite into orbit for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U, or GOES-U, mission aims to enhance the nation’s ability to monitor and forecast weather, ocean, and environmental events in real-time.
As the fourth and final satellite in the GOES series, GOES-U will carry seven instruments that will provide advanced imagery and atmosphere measurements of Earth’s Western Hemisphere, real-time mapping of lightning activity, and advanced monitoring of solar activity and space weather.
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The instruments also include a new compact coronagraph, used to capture images of the outer layer of the sun’s atmosphere to detect and characterize coronal mass ejections.
NASA and SpaceX are targeting a two-hour launch window that opens at 5:16 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25.
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The mission will launch on board a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA”s Kennedy Space Center.
Following a successful launch and on-orbit checkout, NOAA will redesignate GOES-U as GOES-19. It will then work in tandem with GOES-18 to continually observe Earth from the west coast of Africa to New Zealand, providing data for weather forecasting, severe storm tracking, and environmental monitoring.
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The GOES-R series of satellites was designed, built, and tested by Lockheed Martin.
For more information about the GOES-U mission, click here.
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