NASA and SpaceX launch new NOAA weather satellite :: NASANET

NASA successfully launched the fourth and final satellite in a series of advanced weather satellites for NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) on Tuesday, June 25 at 21:26 GMT. GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) will benefit the nation by providing continuous monitoring of weather and environmental hazards across much of the Western Hemisphere.

The satellite was launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At 2:18 GMT on Wednesday, mission leaders confirmed that the spacecraft’s solar panels had been successfully deployed and that the spacecraft was running on its own power.

“As communities across the country and the world feel the effects of extreme weather events, satellites like GOES-U closely monitor the weather in real time,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “NASA and NOAA have worked together for decades to bring critical data to Earth for preparing for severe storms, detecting fires and more. This fleet of advanced satellites builds resilience to our changing climate and protects humanity from climate hazards on Earth and beyond. space.”

In addition to its critical role in forecasting weather on Earth, the GOES constellation helps forecasters predict space weather near Earth, which can interfere with satellite electronics, GPS, and radio communications. GOES-U goes beyond its predecessors with a new space weather instrument, Compact Coronagraph-1, that blocks the bright light of the Sun so scientists can observe the relatively fainter solar atmosphere.

“There are so many uses for GOES data, many of which directly impact our daily lives here on Earth,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “GOES-U will complement global data by allowing NASA and NOAA to monitor changes in our climate and provide critical information before severe weather events and natural disasters occur. “NASA looks forward to working with NOAA again as we enter the next generation of Earth observation satellites.”

Once GOES-U enters geostationary orbit about 35,000 kilometers above Earth, it will be renamed GOES-19. Following a successful on-orbit test of its instruments and systems, GOES-19 will become operational and monitor weather across much of North America, including the United States and Mexico, as well as Central and South America, the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean. to the west coast of Africa.

“The data that GOES-U will provide is critical to protecting the safety of people in the Western Hemisphere,” said John Gagosian, director of NASA’s Joint Agency Satellite Division. “With this successful launch, meteorologists will be able to better inform and educate the public.”