The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R Series (GOES-R) is the next generation of geostationary weather satellites, scheduled to launch in 2015. The program is a collaborative development and acquisition effort between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The GOES-R satellite will provide continuous imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth’s Western Hemisphere and space weather monitoring. It will be the primary tool for the detection and tracking of hurricanes and severe weather and provide new and improved applications and products for fulfilling NOAA’s goals of Water and Weather, Climate, Commerce, and Ecosystem.
The GOES-R Program is managed by NOAA with an integrated NOAA-NASA program office organization, staffed with personnel from NOAA and NASA, and supported by industry contractors. The Program is co-located at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
GOES-R is composed of the GOES-R Program Office and two integrated NOAA-NASA project offices: the Flight Project and the Ground Segment Project. The Flight Project oversees the development of the Space Segment, which consists of the spacecraft, the instruments, launch vehicle, and the auxiliary communication payloads. The Ground Segment Project consists of the entire ground system,
including the facilities, antenna sites, software and hardware for satellite command and control and to process, create, and distribute end user products, and the Remote Backup facility (RBU).
The GOES-R series will maintain the
2-satellite system implemented by the current GOES series. However, the locations of the operational GOES-R satellites will be 75W and 137W. The latter is a shift from current GOES at 135W in order to eliminate conflicts with other satellite systems. The GOES-R operational lifetime extends through December 2027.
GOES Flyout Schedule
(click for larger Image)
GOES-R Features
Imager (ABI):
Improved resolution (4x), faster coverage (5x), more bands (3x), and more coverage simultaneously
Lightning Detection (GLM):
Continuous coverage of total lightning flash rate over land and water
Solar/Space Monitoring (SUVI, EXIS, SEISS, MAG):
Better Imager (UV over X-Ray) and improved heavy ion detection, adds low energy electrons and protons
Unique Payload Services (UPS):
Higher data rates for Environmental Data Relay (GRB, EMWIN, LRIT, DCS); continued Search and Rescue (SARSAT)
For more information on
GOES-R improvements over current GOES click here.
