NOAA's newest weather satellite cleared for launch
Launch of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T (GOES-T), NOAA's latest weather satellite, was cleared to proceed today at a launch readiness review at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Launch is targeted for a two hour window beginning Tuesday, March 1 at 4:38 pm at the adjacent Cape Canaveral Space Force Station from Launch Complex 31. Live coverage begins at 4 p.m. on NASA TV.
GOES-T is the third satellite in the series which began with the launch of GOES-R better known as GOES-East. WRAL meteorologists as well as their colleagues at the National Weather Services rely on the GOES satellites to provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements, real-time mapping of lightning activity, as well as monitoring of space weather.
Following launch, GOES-T will spend about 9 days moving into position near the center of the continental United States. After a post launch checkout and testing period, it will be moved into position over the Pacific Ocean, renamed GOES-18 and take over GOES-West duties from the troubled GOES-17 satellite.
While much of what you see each day on WRAL comes from GOES-East. But its sister satellite is critical not only to the west coast, especially recently in monitoring wild fires. But much of the weather we see here in North Carolina forms in the Pacific. Long range forecasts here have improved in large part due to the capabilities of the GOES-R series, including GOES-17.
Replacing the troubled GOES-17
Shortly after the March 2018 launch of GOES-17, a problem was found in the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI). The ABI views the Earth across 16 different spectral bands enabling forecasters to monitor cloud formation, motion in the atmosphere, convection, land surface temperature, wild fires, smoke, volcanic ash plumes, aerosols and air quality.
As GOES-17 was being checked out, it became clear that there was a problem with the radiator that takes heat away from ABI. At first it looked like the entire cooling system was down, but a blockage in loop heat pipe that helps carry that heat away was foudn to be the likely cause.
Engineers were able to get around the problem by turning up the power on the cryocooler system, but this is expected to shave years on off the lifespan of this important resource.
Launch weather
Weather is looking promising for the launch with 70% probability of "go" conditions. US Space Force forecasters point to the common concern of cumulus clouds in the area and the lightning risk they pose along. Forecasters will also be keeping an eye on electrical potential in the atmosphere near the ground which is measured by coffee can sized field mills across Cape Canaveral.
GOES-T was originally scheduled as a replacement for GOES-16 which is currently serving that eastern position enabling forecasters to see all the way to coast of Africa, providing valuable information about hurricanes as they form and move toward the Caribbean and east coast of the U.S.
The launch was delayed while the cooling system was redesigned to prevent future problems.
GOES-16 is scheduled to be replaced by GOES-U when it launches in April 2023.
