GOES-U Satellite Achieves Geostationary Orbit and Becomes GOES-19

GOES-U Satellite Achieves Geostationary Orbit and Becomes GOES-19
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 10, 2024

On July 7, 2024, NOAA's GOES-U completed its final engine burn, successfully entering geostationary orbit 22,236 miles above the Earth's equator. Following this achievement, the satellite has been renamed GOES-19. GOES satellites are initially designated with a letter before launch, which is then changed to a number once they reach geostationary orbit.

GOES-U was launched on June 25, 2024, at 5:26 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The launch was managed by NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center.

The satellite separated from the SpaceX Falcon Heavy's second-stage rocket at 9:56 p.m. EDT on June 25. Mission managers confirmed the first-stage deployment of the spacecraft's solar array at 10:18 p.m., enabling the satellite to begin operating on its own power. The Falcon Heavy rocket initially placed GOES-U into a geostationary transfer orbit, a highly elliptical orbit that allows the satellite to eventually reach its final geostationary position over the equator. After a series of orbit-raising maneuvers, GOES-U reached its circular geostationary orbit on July 7. In this orbit, the satellite moves at the same rate as the Earth's rotation, allowing it to consistently monitor the same region.

Next, GOES-19 will deploy the second stage of its solar array. The deployed solar panels will form a single solar array wing that will rotate daily to ensure its photovoltaic cells continuously face the sun. These cells convert solar energy into electricity to power the satellite, including its instruments, computers, data processors, sensors, and telecommunications equipment.

In the following days, satellite operators will conduct several maneuvers to position GOES-19 at its initial checkout location at 89.5 degrees west longitude, situated between the operational GOES-East and GOES-West satellites. The satellite's magnetometer boom will then be deployed. GOES-19 will begin on-orbit checkout and validation of its instruments and systems. NOAA anticipates receiving the first images from GOES-19 in September. After completing the post-launch check-out, NASA will transfer GOES-19 to NOAA, which will validate the satellite's data products and move it to its operational position at 75.2 degrees west longitude. GOES-19 is slated to become the operational GOES-East satellite in April 2025, replacing GOES-16, which will then serve as the on-orbit standby satellite.

GOES-19 will monitor severe weather, hurricanes, wildfires, lightning, fog, and other hazards affecting North America, including the contiguous United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. The satellite will also observe solar activity and space weather, providing early warnings of disruptions to power grids, communications, and navigation systems. Among GOES-19's instruments is the new Compact Coronagraph-1 (CCOR-1), which will support NOAA's Space Weather Follow On (SWFO) mission.

CCOR-1 will capture images of the solar corona (the outer layer of the sun's atmosphere) and help detect and analyze coronal mass ejections (CMEs)-large expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the corona that are the primary cause of geomagnetic storms. CCOR-1 will be the nation's first operational coronagraph, providing critical data for predicting geomagnetic storm conditions and allowing the Space Weather Prediction Center to issue warnings one to four days in advance.