Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite

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The GOES N satellite was launched on a Delta IV rocket from launch pad LC-37B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
The GOES N satellite was launched on a Delta IV rocket from launch pad LC-37B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (or GOES) program is a key element in United States' National Weather Service (NWS) operations. GOES weather imagery and quantitative sounding data are a continuous and reliable stream of environmental information used to support weather forecasting, severe storm tracking, and meteorological research. Evolutionary improvements in the geostationary satellite system since 1974 (the launch of the first Synchronous Meteorological Satellite, SMS-1) have been responsible for making the current GOES system the basic element for U.S. weather monitoring and forecasting. Spacecraft and ground-based systems work together to accomplish the GOES mission.

Contents

[edit] Satellites

Four GOES satellites are currently available for operational use:

  • GOES-10 is currently located at 60°W and provides coverage of South America.[1] See note below.
  • GOES-11 is designated GOES-West, currently located at 135°W over the Pacific Ocean.[2]
  • GOES-12 is designated GOES-East, currently located at 75°W over the Amazon River.[3] It provides most of the U.S. weather information.
  • GOES-13 is in on-orbit storage at 105°W.[4]

Several GOES satellites are still in orbit, either inactive or repurposed. GOES-3 is no longer used for weather operations, but is a critical part of the communication links between the United States and Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. A nine meter dish was constructed at the station, and communication with the satellite is possible for approximately five hours per day. Data rates are around 2.048 Mbit/s bi-directional under optimum conditions. GOES-8 (GOES-East when it was in operation) is in a parking orbit, currently drifting about 4°W daily.[5] It was decommissioned on April 1, 2003, and deactivated on May 5, 2004, after the failure of its propulsion system.[6]

Communication was lost to GOES-12 on December 4, 2007 when it performed a standard station-keeping maneuver. Current outage is scheduled to last "until further notice" and GOES-11 initially took "full disk" images to cover the lost data until a contingency plan could be implemented.[7] On December 5, 2007, GOES-10 was moved from South America operations to temporarily replace GOES-12 as the GOES-EAST operational satellite.[8] On 9 December, communication with GOES-10 was also temporarily lost, but communication was resumed via a backup antenna.[9] GOES-12 was successfully reactivated and moved back to normal operation following a thrust maneuver on 17 December.[10]

GOES-12 visible light image.

GOES-12 water vapor image.

[edit] Purpose

Designed to operate in geostationary orbit, 35,790 km (22,240 statute miles) above the earth, thereby remaining stationary (with respect to a point on the ground), the advanced GOES I–M spacecraft continuously view the continental United States, neighboring environs of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and Central, South America and southern Canada. The three-axis, body-stabilized spacecraft design enables the sensors to "stare" at the earth and thus more frequently image clouds, monitor earth's surface temperature and water vapour fields, and sound the atmosphere for its vertical thermal and vapor structures. Thus the evolution of atmospheric phenomena can be followed, ensuring real-time coverage of short-lived dynamic events, especially severe local storms and tropical cyclones—two meteorological events that directly affect public safety, protection of property, and ultimately, economic health and development. The importance of this capability has recently been exemplified during hurricanes Hugo (1989) and Andrew (1992).

The GOES I–M series of spacecraft are the principal observational platforms for covering such dynamic weather events and the near-earth space environment for the 1990s and into the 21st century. These advanced spacecraft enhance the capability of the GOES system to continuously observe and measure meteorological phenomena in real time, providing the meteorological community and the atmospheric scientist greatly improved observational and measurement data of the Western Hemisphere. In addition to short-term weather forecasting and space environmental monitoring, these enhanced operational services also improve support for atmospheric science research, numerical weather prediction models, and environmental sensor design and development. Data is received via the NOAA Command and Data Acquisition ground station at Wallops Island, Virginia[11] The GOES satellites are controlled from the Satellite Operations Control Center (SOCC) located in Suitland, Maryland.

[edit] Payload

The main mission is carried out by the primary payload instruments, the Imager and the Sounder. The Imager is a multichannel instrument that senses radiant energy and reflected solar energy from the earth's surface and atmosphere. The Sounder provides data for vertical atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles, surface and cloud top temperature, and ozone distribution.

Other instruments on board the spacecraft are the ground-based meteorological platform data collection and relay, and the space environment monitor. The latter consists of a magnetometer, an X-ray sensor, a high energy proton and alpha detector, and an energetic particles sensor, all used for in-situ surveying of the near-earth space environment.

Invertible GOES logo designed for Space Systems/Loral by Scott Kim
Invertible GOES logo designed for Space Systems/Loral by Scott Kim

In addition, the GOES satellites carry Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) and Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) receivers, which are used for search-and-rescue purposes by the U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center

[edit] Designations

GOES spacecraft have been manufactured by Boeing (GOES D-H and N–P) and Space Systems/Loral (A–C, I–M). The procurement, design and manufacturing of GOES is overseen by NASA, while all operations of the satellites once in orbit are done by NOAA. Twelve contracts for advanced architecture studies for GOES-R were announced in October 2003.

Once a GOES satellite is launched successfully, it is redesignated with a number. GOES-A to GOES-F became GOES-1 to GOES-6, GOES-G was a failure, GOES-H to GOES-M became GOES-7 to GOES-12.

GOES-13 (which was designated GOES-N prior to orbiting) was launched by a Delta IV rocket from Launch Complex 37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 22:11 GMT May 24, 2006.[12] Repeated glitches in the rocket and weather issues delayed the launch starting in late July 2005. GOES-O is scheduled to launch 2008-12-12[13] and GOES-P will be launched on 30 May 2009. GOES-Q has no spacecraft manufacturer or launch date.

In October 2006, NOAA repositioned GOES-10 over the Amazon region, to provide full time coverage for South American countries. Although NOAA currently sends images to South America, the frequency drops from 30-minutes to 3 hour whenever a storm occurs in North America, which is roughly 40% of the time during the hurricane season.[14]

Note: original entry taken from "GOES I–M Databook" foreword

[edit] Future

The GOES-R series of spacecraft is in the formulation phase. The proposed instrument package for the series is as follows: the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI); the Hyperspectral Environmental Suite (HES) (Due to cost and schedule risk of HES, it is no longer part of GOES-R. A replacement instrument is in discussion); the Space Environment In-Situ Suite (SEISS), which includes a Magnetospheric Particle Sensor (MPS), an Energetic Heavy Ion Sensor (EHIS), and a Solar and Galactic Proton Sensor (SGPS); the Solar Imaging Suite (SIS), which includes the Solar X-Ray Imager (SXI), the Solar X-Ray Sensor (SXS), and the Extreme Ultraviolet Sensor (EUVS); the GEO Lightning Mapper (GLM); and the Magnetometer.[15]

[edit] History/status of GOES satellites

The first image obtained from the GOES 1 satellite, 1975 October 25, 1645 GMT.
The first image obtained from the GOES 1 satellite, 1975 October 25, 1645 GMT.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ GOES-10 Spacecraft Status Summary. Retrieved on August 25, 2006.
  2. ^ GOES-11 Spacecraft Status Summary. Retrieved on August 25, 2006.
  3. ^ GOES-12 Spacecraft Status Summary. Retrieved on August 25, 2006.
  4. ^ GOES 13 Spacecraft Status Summary. NOAA.
  5. ^ GOES-8 Spacecraft Status Summary. Retrieved on August 25, 2006.
  6. ^ NOAA DEACTIVATES GOES-8 AFTER 10 YEARS OF SERVICE. Retrieved on August 25, 2006.
  7. ^ GOES-12 Status Bulletin. Retrieved on December 5, 2007.
  8. ^ CIMSS GOES Blog. Retrieved on December 7, 2007.
  9. ^ GOES-10 Status Bulletin
  10. ^ GOES-12 Status Bulletin. Retrieved on December 17, 2007.
  11. ^ GOES-I/M MISSION, Goddard Space Flight Center (Accessed 17 Mar 2008)
  12. ^ NASA's Shuttle and Rocket Missions. NASA. Retrieved on April 14, 2006.
  13. ^ GOES-O Spacecraft. Kennedy Space Center. Retrieved on June 5, 2008.
  14. ^ U.S. to Reposition Satellite Over Amazon. Associated Press. Retrieved on April 17, 2006.
  15. ^ GOES-R Spacecraft. Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite Program (GOES). Goddard Space Flight Center. Retrieved on April 14, 2006.

[edit] External links

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