CONTACT:  Patricia Viets, NOAA/NESDIS        FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
          Cynthia O'Carroll, NASA/GSFC       8/21/98

GOES-10, the country's newest geostationary weather satellite, has reached its operating location overlooking the West Coast of the United States and well out into the Pacific Ocean, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today. GOES satellite images are best known to television viewers as the cloud images that are shown on weather forecasts.

GOES-10 was launched on April 25, 1997, from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla. After achieving a geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above the Earth, and undergoing on- orbit testing, the satellite was placed into on-orbit storage to replace one of two geostationary operational satellites when needed.

When GOES-9, launched in May 23, 1995, experienced technical problems earlier this year, NOAA decided to replace it with GOES-10, which was called out of storage on July 9, 1998. On July 21, GOES-10 began its journey from its storage spot of 105 degrees West longitude. Traveling at about one degree per day, the satellite reached its destination of 135 degrees West longitude today.

"The advanced geostationary satellites provide precise and timely weather observations and atmospheric measurement data for the United States," said Gerry Dittberner, NOAA's GOES program manager. "Continuity of geostationary weather data will be virtually guaranteed by having two satellites in operation and with plans to launch another next year."

The design of the GOES satellites allows their sensors to continuously stare at the Earth to monitor developing weather events. GOES-8, the first state-of-the-art geostationary environmental satellite, was launched April 13, 1994. It is currently positioned at 75 degrees West longitude, overlooking the East Coast of North and South America and well into the Atlantic Ocean.

The data gathered by the GOES satellites, combined with data from Doppler radars, the automated surface observing system, and other observations systems aid forecasters in providing advance warnings of thunderstorms, flash floods, hurricanes, winter storms, and other severe weather -- which save lives and preserve property.

The satellites are also equipped with instruments designed to provide real time measurements of solar activity, the charged particle environment, and the Earth's magnetic field at synchronous orbit. In addition, the satellites can relay distress signals from people, aircraft, or ships to search and rescue ground stations of the search and rescue satellite-aided tracking system.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center administers the GOES contract and manages the design, development, and launch of the spacecraft for NOAA.

"NASA, with Space Systems/Loral and ITT as the major industry contractors, is proud to be able to satisfy NOAA's needs for a robust geostationary satellite system," said Martin Davis, NASA GOES project manager.

NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service operates the GOES series of satellites from its Suitland, Md., facility. After the satellites complete on-orbit checkout, NOAA assumes responsibility for command and control, data receipt, and product generation and distribution.

More information on GOES satellites is available on the World Wide Web at:

http://www.nnic.noaa.gov/SOCC/SOCC_Home.html
http://osdacces.nesdis.noaa.gov/goes.htm
http://goes1.gsfc.nasa.gov

GOES imagery is located at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov
Click onto "Satellite Resources."