GOES-U Launch from Liftoff to Booster touchdown
GOES U Separation from Booster into Geo Transfer Orbit.
NOAA’s latest weather satellite, GOES-U, blasted off on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket Tuesday, June 25th at 17:16 EST from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The powerful launch marks a new era for weather forecasting and space weather monitoring.
After a two-week journey, GOES-U will reach its designated geostationary orbit, 22,236 miles above Earth. Renamed GOES-19, it will undergo instrument checks before taking its position as the GOES-East satellite, replacing GOES-16 in mid-2025.
“GOES-U brings high-definition, speed, and precision to weather observation,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad. “This translates to more accurate and timely forecasts, with data critical for forecasters well into the 2030s.”
GOES-U carries a historic first: the CCOR-1, an operational satellite solar coronagraph. This instrument will work alongside other solar and space environment tools to detect potentially dangerous space weather that can disrupt power grids, communication, and navigation systems.
“This satellite is invaluable to our meteorologists and hydrologists,” said NOAA National Weather Service Director Ken Graham. “GOES-U expands our imaging capabilities for hurricanes, fires, and other life-threatening events. The new coronagraph will provide crucial lead time for geomagnetic storm warnings.”
GOES-U also completes the GOES-R series, a four-satellite program conceived over 20 years ago and expected to operate until the late 2030s. “These satellites provide fast, accurate data for tracking severe weather, wildfires, floods, and other hazards,” said Steve Volz, assistant administrator for NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service.
Working alongside GOES-18 in the GOES-West position, GOES-U will observe over half the globe, from Africa to New Zealand and Alaska to Antarctica. This enhanced coverage will significantly improve weather monitoring and forecasting capabilities for years to come.
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Photos of Launch Prep and Port Canaveral
Live View from SpaceFlight Now:
GOES-U
Falcon Heavy | SpaceX
Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA
Launch Pad LC-39A
Tue, Jun 25, 2024, 04:16 PM CDT
Details:
- Launch Provider -SpaceX
- Status: Active
- Price: $97.0 million
- Liftoff Thrust: 22,819 kN
- Payload to LEO: 63,800 kg
- Payload to GTO: 26,700 kg
- Stages: 2
- Side Thrusters: 2
- Rocket Height: 70.0 m
- Fairing Diameter: 5.2 m
- Fairing Height: 13.0 m
CURRENTLY, NOAA IS ONLY DESIGNATING GOES-18 MESO 1 FOR 30 SECOND/1 MINUTE MESOSCALE IMAGERY FOR THE LAUNCH OF GOES-U THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WILL BE FOCUSED ON A CENTER POINT 50 NAUTICAL MILES FROM THE LAUNCH AT 29N/80W. IF A MESO IS ADDED TO GOES-16 I WILL POST IT HERE. REMEMBER, WHEN A HIGH RATE MESO OF 30 SECONDS OR 1 MINUTE IS ACTIVATED, THERE WILL BE NO SECOND MESO FROM THAT SATELLITE, SO NO MESO 2 DURING THAT TIMEFRAME.
PRODUCT(S) OR DATA IMPACTED: GOES-WEST MDS MESO-1 (30 SECONDS NON-ALTERNATING)
- Requested Center Point: 29N/80W
- Date/Time of Initial Impact: June 25, 2024 2100Z J/DAY 177
- Date/Time of Expected End: June 26, 2024 0000Z J/DAY 178
- Length of Event: 3 Hours
- Requester: Satellite Analysis Branch
- Priority: 5 National Event DSS/NSSE-SEAR/Radar Outage
- Details/Specifics of Change: Monitoring conditions at and near the launch of GOES-U from Cape Canaveral.
*Special Note*
- Normal case: 60 second Meso1 followed by alternate 60 second Meso 2
- Non-alternating case: When a 30 second Meso 1 is requested, the alternate Meso 2 will not be produced during that time.
Where Is Geo Stationary Orbit?
A Geo Transfer Orbit, also known as a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), is a highly elliptical orbit used to place satellites into geostationary orbit. Geostationary orbit is a special type of orbit around the Earth in which a satellite orbits the planet at the same rate as the Earth’s rotation. This means that the satellite appears to remain stationary relative to a fixed point on the Earth’s surface. The geostationary orbit is located at an altitude of approximately 35,786 kilometers (22,236 miles) above the Earth’s equator.
Launch vehicles typically cannot launch satellites directly into geostationary orbit because it requires too much energy. Instead, they launch the satellite into a GTO which is a more energy-efficient way to get the satellite close to its final destination.
Here’s how it works:
- The launch vehicle injects the satellite into an elliptical orbit with a low perigee (the closest point to Earth) and a high apogee (the farthest point from Earth) at an altitude of about 35,786 kilometers (22,236 miles).
- Once at apogee, the satellite’s on-board engine fires, circularizing the orbit and raising the perigee to match the apogee altitude. By using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy over the ULA Atlas , NASA was able to get GOES-U to a higher altitude, thus saving onboard fuel and extending the life of the mission by 5 years
- A second engine burn may be required to adjust the orbit’s inclination so the satellite travels exactly over the equator.
By using a GTO, satellites can conserve fuel and reach geostationary orbit efficiently. Many communication satellites, weather satellites, and Earth observation satellites use GTOs.
