Category: Kennedy

NASA Completes Flight Readiness Review for GOES-U Mission 

Crews transport NOAA’s (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-U) from the Astrotech Space Operations facility to the SpaceX hangar at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, June 14, 2024. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), SpaceX, and GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-U) mission managers met on June 20 to conduct a Flight Readiness Review at NASA’S Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During the review, teams provided an update on the mission status and certified the readiness to proceed with final launch preparation activities. 

Teams will connect the weather satellite to a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket as one of the final preparations for launch. Once the satellite and rocket are fully integrated, SpaceX will roll the Falcon Heavy rocket carrying NOAA’s GOES-U satellite from the hangar to the launch pad. 

NASA is targeting launch Tuesday, June 25, with the two-hour launch window opening at 5:16 p.m. EDT. The mission will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at the Florida spaceport. This will be the first GOES mission to launch on a Falcon Heavy, and the 10th Falcon Heavy mission for SpaceX. 

On board GOES-U are seven instruments, including a new, operational Compact Coronagraph-1 instrument. As a part of NOAA’s Space Weather Follow On Program, the coronagraph will observe the Sun’s outermost layer, called the corona, for large explosions of plasma that could produce geomagnetic solar storms. These solar storms can impact satellites, crewed space missions, and Earth and space-based infrastructure. 

The GOES-U satellite is the fourth and final in NOAA’s GOES-R series of advanced satellites that provide rapid, high-resolution imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth’s Western Hemisphere, real-time mapping of lightning activity, and monitoring of solar activity and space weather. 

To learn more about the GOES-U mission, visit: 

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/goes/  

Continue checking NASA’s GOES blog for additional mission updates, or join the conversation and get updates on social media by following these accounts:  

X: @NASA, @NASA_LSP, @NASAKennedy, @NOAASatellites, @NASAGoddard
Facebook: NASA, NASA LSP, NASA Kennedy, NOAA Satellites, NASA Goddard
Instagram: NASA, NASA Kennedy, NOAA Satellites 

NASA Hosts Prelaunch Media Viewing of NOAA’s GOES-U

Members of the news media had an opportunity for an up-close look at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U (GOES-U) on Thursday, June 6, 2024, inside the Astrotech Space Operations Facility in Titusville, near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Journalists visited Astrotech as part of a NASA-hosted media day to conduct interviews and photograph the satellite that is the final addition to NOAA’s GOES-R satellite series, which serve a critical role in providing continuous coverage of the Western Hemisphere, including monitoring tropical systems in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Members of the news media had an opportunity for an up-close look at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U (GOES-U) on Thursday, June 6, 2024, inside the Astrotech Space Operations Facility in Titusville, near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geostationary Operation Environmental Satellite-U (GOES-U) stands vertical on a spacecraft dolly in a high bay at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a NASA-hosted media day on Thursday, June 6, 2024. Part of a collaborative NOAA and NASA program, GOES-U is the last in a series of advanced geostationary weather satellites. Data from the GOES-R satellite series enables forecasters to predict, observe, and track local weather events that affect public safety like thunderstorms, hurricanes, and wildfires. Members of the news media had an opportunity for an up-close look at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U (GOES-U) on Thursday, June 6, 2024, inside the Astrotech Space Operations Facility in Titusville, near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Journalists visited Astrotech as part of a NASA-hosted media day to conduct interviews and photograph the satellite that is the final addition to NOAA’s GOES-R satellite series, which serve a critical role in providing continuous coverage of the Western Hemisphere, including monitoring tropical systems in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geostationary Operation Environmental Satellite-U (GOES-U) stands vertical on a spacecraft dolly in a high bay at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, June 6, 2024. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA hosted members of the media to view the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U (GOES-U), on June 6, at the Astrotech Space Operations facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

Subject matter experts from NASA, NOAA, Lockheed Martin, and L3Harris Technologies provided a mission overview and answered questions about the satellite’s capabilities to assist meteorologists with predicting, observing, and tracking hazardous weather events on Earth and in space. 

The opportunity provided media with a last look at the final weather-observing and environmental monitoring satellite in NOAA’s GOES-R Series before technicians prepare it for launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. 

The satellite will carry a suite of instruments for advanced imagery, atmospheric measurements, real-time mapping of lightning activity, and detecting approaching space weather hazards. The satellite also includes a new compact coronagraph that will image the outer layer of the Sun’s atmosphere to detect and characterize coronal mass ejections. 

The two-hour launch window for GOES-U opens at 5:16 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, June 25, from Launch Complex 39A at the Florida spaceport. 

NASA, SpaceX Target New Launch Date for NOAA Weather Satellite

NASA and SpaceX now are targeting Tuesday, June 25, for the launch of GOES-U, the fourth and final satellite in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) – R Series. The new launch date allowed time for teams to fully repair and test the Falcon Heavy core booster after a liquid oxygen leak was identified during routine new booster testing in February. NASA and SpaceX teams have resumed preparation of the GOES-U launch. GOES-U will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NOAA oversees the GOES-R Series Program through an integrated NOAA-NASA office, managing the ground system, operating the satellites, and distributing their data to users worldwide. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center manages the acquisition of the spacecraft and instruments and also built the Magnetometer instrument for GOES-T and GOES-U. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center manages the launch services for the GOES missions. Lockheed Martin designs, builds, and tests the GOES-R series satellites. L3Harris Technologies provides the primary instrument, the Advanced Baseline Imager, along with the ground system, which includes the antenna system for data reception.

Launch of NOAA Weather Satellite Delayed

Technicians monitor movement and guide NOAA’s Geostationary Operation Environmental Satellite-U (GOES-U) as a crane hoists it on to a spacecraft dolly in a high bay at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Technicians monitor movement and guide NOAA’s Geostationary Operation Environmental Satellite-U (GOES-U) as a crane hoists it on to a spacecraft dolly in a high bay at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA and SpaceX are now targeting no earlier than May 2024 for the launch of the fourth and final satellite in NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) – R Series, GOES-U. The new date allows for additional testing and preparation of a new Falcon Heavy center core booster after a liquid oxygen leak was discovered during routine new booster testing.     

NOAA oversees the GOES-R Series Program through an integrated NOAA-NASA office, managing the ground system, operating the satellites, and distributing their data to users worldwide. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center manages the acquisition of the spacecraft and instruments and also built the Magnetometer instrument for GOES-T and GOES-U. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center manages the launch services for the GOES missions. Lockheed Martin designs, builds, and tests the GOES-R series satellites. L3Harris Technologies provides the primary instrument, the Advanced Baseline Imager, along with the ground system, which includes the antenna system for data reception. 

GOES-T Separates from Spacecraft, Continues on Journey to Save Lives

GOES-T liftoff on a ULA rocket
A joint effort between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the GOES-T satellite will be positioned to watch over the western contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, and the Pacific Ocean. Liftoff occurred at 4:38 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Following completion of a third planned start and then cutoff of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 Centaur main engine, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T (GOES-T) satellite separated from the spacecraft and is continuing on its journey to help meteorologists observe and predict local weather events, including thunderstorms, tornadoes, fog, hurricanes, flash floods and other severe weather.

In addition, GOES observations have proven helpful in monitoring dust storms, volcanic eruptions, and forest fires.

“That is what it’s all about – when we get to the spacecraft separation. It’s years of work going into that one event,” said NASA Launch Director Tim Dunn. “Today, we were blessed with a smooth and successful countdown.”

A joint effort between NASA and NOAA, GOES-T will be renamed GOES-18 once it reaches geostationary orbit, replacing GOES-17 as GOES West. It will be positioned to watch over the western contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, and the Pacific Ocean. The satellite will be ideally located to monitor weather systems and hazards that most affect this region of the Western Hemisphere.

GOES-T is about the size of a small school bus and weighs more than 6,000 pounds. Liftoff, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida, occurred right at the top of the two-hour launch window, at 4:38 p.m. EST. All milestones were successfully reached – from liftoff through spacecraft separation.

The launch was managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This concludes today’s live coverage of GOES-T launch day activities. To learn more about the GOES Satellite Network or to meet members of the GOES-T team, click here.

Main Engine Restart, Cutoff Executed

GOES-T mission logoThe United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 Centaur main engine successfully restarted and then cut off again just a few minutes later as the GOES-T mission heads into a planned coast phase.

This will last approximately three hours, after which the Centaur main engine will start and then cut off for a third – and final – time.

Check out continuing coverage on NASA TV, the NASA app, or the agency’s website. Check back here for a live report on GOES-T’s separation from the rocket.

Main Engine Cutoff, First-Stage Separation

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket is shown carrying NOAA’s GOES-T satellite. Photo Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Have you ever wondered what the three numbers (541) on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V 541 rocket stand for? The numbers signify a payload fairing, or nose cone, that is approximately 5 meters (16.4 feet) in diameter; 4 solid-rocket boosters fastened alongside the central common core booster; and a 1-engine Centaur upper stage.

Just an interesting fact to throw in while we announce main engine cutoff (MECO) has occurred and the first stage has separated from the rocket. Coming up next, in about 10 minutes, will be Centaur main engine start #2, followed by main engine cutoff #2 about five minutes later.

Liftoff! NOAA’s GOES-T Soars Into the Space Coast Sky

GOES-T liftoff
GOES-T lifts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 at 4:38 p.m. EST on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

3, 2, 1 … LIFTOFF! The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T (GOES-T) satellite spacecraft lights up the late afternoon Florida sky as it roars off the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on a joint effort with NASA to help meteorologists observe and predict local weather events.

Stay right here on the blog, or tune in to NASA TV, the NASA app, or the agency’s website to watch the spacecraft and rocket eclipse more launch milestones. Live coverage continues through GOES-T spacecraft separation at approximately 8:30 this evening. The next milestone is main engine cutoff, or MECO, coming in about 10 minutes.

Final ‘Go’ Given for GOES-T Launch

GOES-T mission
The GOES-T mission has recieved the final ‘go’ for launch from NASA Launch Director Tim Dunn. Photo credit: NASA

NASA Launch Director Tim Dunn gives the final ‘go’ for NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T (GOES-T) launch!

The skies on Florida’s Space Coast soon will be alight as the United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket’s Centaur engines fire up to launch the mission into space.

NOAA’s GOES-T Mission Nears Liftoff

GOES-T at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
GOES-T liftoff, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41, is set for 4:38 p.m. EST. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

In just about 15 minutes, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket engines will roar to life, sending NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T (GOES-T) satellite into space.

Excitement is building as the mission nears launch. A joint effort between NASA and NOAA, GOES-T will help meteorologists observe and predict local weather events, including thunderstorms, tornadoes, fog, hurricanes, flash floods and other severe weather.

If you’re just joining us, liftoff – aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 – is set for 4:38 p.m. EST. Stay right here, or tune in to NASA TV, the NASA app, or the agency’s website for continuing coverage.