CONTACT: Patricia Viets, NOAA/NESDIS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(301) 457-5005 5/31/95
Stephanie Kenitzer, NOAA/NWS
(301) 713-0622
Ernie Shannon, NASA/Goddard
(301) 286-8955
GOES-J, the country's latest advanced environmental satellite, has reached its geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above the Earth. After launch on May 23 from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla., the satellite began a nine-day journey that involved four motor firings.
GOES-J has been renamed GOES-9 now that it has achieved geostationary orbit, said Gary Davis, director of satellite operations at the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which operates two geostationary and two polar-orbiting satellites that provide meteorologists information vital to timely and accurate forecasts.
"The advanced geostationary satellites provide precise and timely weather observations and atmospheric measurement data for the United States," said Davis. "Having two new satellites in orbit is an important milestone that meteorologists have awaited for quite some time. The design of these satellites allows their sensors to continuously stare at the Earth. The older generation of spinning satellites like GOES-7 view the Earth only five percent of the time."
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. GOES-7 is overlooking the West Coast and well into the Pacific Ocean and Alaska. Once GOES-9 is fully operational later this year, GOES-7 will be placed in standby mode. GOES-8 and GOES-9 will then be the two operational geostationary satellites.
GOES-8 and GOES-9 represent a major element of NOAA's National Weather Service's modernization program. The data gathered by the GOES satellites, combined with data from the new Doppler radars and the automated surface observing system, will greatly aid forecasters in providing better advance warnings of thunderstorms, flash floods, hurricanes, winter storms, and other severe weather -- which will save lives, preserve property, and benefit agriculture, marine, aviation, and commercial interests across the country.
GOES-8 and GOES-9 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.
NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service operates the GOES series of satellites. After the satellites complete on-orbit checkout, NOAA assumes responsibility for command and control, data receipt, and product generation and distribution.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center administers the GOES contract for NASA's Office of Mission to Planet Earth, Washington, D.C., which manages the design, development, and launch of the spacecraft for NOAA.