GOES-U Launch Preparations

GOES-U Prepares for Launch: Nears Completion of Critical Milestones and Arrives at SpaceX Hanger- Ready for Roll Out

Live view of Pad 39A

GOES-U, NOAA’s latest weather satellite, has arrived at the SpaceX hangar at Kennedy Space Center! This critical milestone paves the way for its launch on June 25th aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket. GOES-U will be the final satellite in the GOES-R Series, providing meteorologists with advanced tools to keep us safe from severe weather. *Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky*

After completing several key steps, the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U (GOES-U) is on track for launch. The satellite, built for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will liftoff aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Major Milestones Achieved:

Secured to Launch Vehicle: On June 10th, technicians at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida successfully attached GOES-U to the payload adapter and the payload attach fitting, enabling a secure connection to the top of the Space X Falcon Heavy rocket.
Fueled and Ready: The satellite recently underwent fueling operations, where teams loaded over 5,000 pounds of hypergolic propellant and oxidizer. This fuel will provide thrust for GOES-U to maneuver in orbit. Following fueling, the total weight of the spacecraft reached 10,956 pounds.
Protected for Launch: In preparation for connecting it to the rocket, teams encapsulated the 20-foot-tall satellite inside two payload-fairing halves on June 13th. During the ascent phase of the launch, these fairings will shield GOES-U from the harsh environment of space, protecting it from aerodynamic pressure and heating. Approximately four minutes after liftoff, once no longer needed, the fairing halves will separate and return to Earth for recovery by SpaceX crews for reuse on future missions.
Transport Completed: Following encapsulation, workers carefully transported the spacecraft from Astrotech’s facility to NASA Kennedy and SpaceX’s hangar at Launch Complex 39A. The transport operation began on June 14th and finished early on June 15th.

GOES-U Encasulation and Shipment to SpaceXLaunch Facility:

Next Steps:

Final Preparations: The next mission milestone involves connecting the encapsulated GOES-U to the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket before rolling the entire stack out to the launch pad.
Launch Day: Liftoff is targeted for a two-hour window opening at 5:16 PM EDT on June 25th. Launch Information here

Want to know how GOES-U ‘goes’ from launchpad to weather hero? This post details its Transition to Operations (T2O) – the crucial steps before it starts keeping you safe! Check it out: Transition to Operations.

Enhanced Weather Monitoring:

GOES-U is the final satellite in NOAA’s GOES-R Series. It will equip meteorologists with advanced tools for weather forecasting and warnings. The satellite also carries a new instrument to improve detection of space weather hazards, specifically a compact coronagraph instrument.

Launch Partners:

NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, is managing the launch service for the GOES-U mission.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland oversaw the acquisition of the spacecraft and its instruments.
Lockheed Martin designed, built, and tested the GOES-R series satellites, including GOES-U.
L3Harris Technologies provided the primary instrument, the Advanced Baseline Imager, along with the ground system, which includes the antenna system for data reception.

With these successful milestones, GOES-U is poised to take its place in space and significantly improve our ability to monitor weather and space weather events.

And now for something completely different…

I also have a dish-monitoring INMARSAT geostationary satellite at 98°West (see my link here). And as I was writing this article, I noticed a warning to Mariners show up on the Decoded texts and plotted maps for the SpaceX Launch of GOES-U

152154Z JUN 24
NAVAREA IV 694/24(11,25,26).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUCHING
   252101Z TO 260002Z JUN, ALTERNATE
   2101Z TO 0002Z DAILY 26 THRU 30 JUN
   2102Z TO 0003Z DAILY 30 JUN THRU 02 JUL
   IN AREAS BOUND BY:
   A. 28-40.00N 080-38.39W, 28-40.00N 080-06.00W,
      28-36.00N 079-15.00W, 28-32.00N 079-15.00W,
      28-26.00N 080-11.00W, 28-26.00N 080-23.00W,
      28-26.00N 080-34.07W.
   B. 28-26.00N 077-28.00W, 28-31.00N 077-28.00W,
      28-34.00N 077-13.00W, 28-31.00N 076-49.00W,
      28-25.00N 076-49.00W, 28-23.00N 077-08.00W.
   C. 27-41.00N 068-08.00W, 27-46.00N 068-07.00W,
      27-42.00N 065-25.00W, 27-35.00N 064-57.00W,
      27-15.00N 064-58.00W, 27-08.00N 065-26.00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 030103Z JUL 24.