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SMS-1(SMS-A) was launched on May 17, 1974 from Cape Canaveral, FL. It was the first geostationary meteorological satellite.

SMS-2 (SMS-B) was launched on February 6, 1975. It was equipped with a VISRR, SEM, and DCS and had WEFAX capability.

GOES-1 (GOES-A) was launched on October 16, 1975. It was the first in the series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites.

GOES-2 (GOES-B) was launched on June 16, 1977. GOES-2 was placed in orbit directly over the equator at 60° W to replace SMS-1.

GOES-3 (GOES-C) was launched on June 16, 1978. The satellite was used to replace GOES-1 and to support the Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP) over the Indian Ocean.

GOES-4 (GOES-D) was launched on September 9, 1980. It was the first geostationary satellite to provide continuous vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature and moisture, which its primary instrument, the VISSR Atmospheric Sounder (VAS), provided. GOES-4 was placed in orbit at 135° W to replace the failing GOES-3.

GOES-5 (GOES-E) was launched on May 22, 1981. It was placed in orbit at 75° W longitude. The satellite failed on July 29, 1984, when a VAS encoder lamp filament burned out that was needed to read the angle of the scan mirror used to obtain images. It was deactivated on July 18, 1990.

GOES-6 (GOES-F) was launched on April 28, 1983. It was designed to replace GOES-4 and was originally placed in orbit at 136° W. After GOES-5 failed, it was moved to a central location at 98° W. When GOES-7 was placed in service, it was returned to its original location.

GOES-G was launched on May 3, 1986, from a Delta 3914 launch vehicle. The spacecraft did not reach operational orbit because of a failure in the launch vehicle.

GOES-7 (GOES-H) was launched on February 26, 1987 and placed in orbit at 75° W. In addition to the same instrument complement as the earlier GOES, GOES-7 carried experimental search and rescue equipment that allowed near-instantaneous detection of emergency distress signals on the ground transmitting at 406 MHz.

GOES-8 (GOES-I) was launched on April 13, 1994. It was the first in a new series of three axis stabilized GOES that provided significant improvements over the previous GOES spin-stabilized spacecraft in weather imagery and atmospheric sounding information. The satellite is equipped with a separate Imager and Sounder, which allows simultaneous and independent imaging and sounding.

GOES-9 (GOES-J) was launched on May 23, 1995 into a geostationary orbit at 135° W. It was deactivated on July 28, 1998, because of failing bearings in the momentum wheels and is in storage.

GOES-10 (GOES-K) was launched April 25, 1997, and was placed in orbit at 105° W. When GOES-9 began experiencing problems with its momentum wheels, and GOES-10 was placed in active service as GOES-West, positioned at 135° W.

GOES-11 (GOES-L) was launched May 3, 2000, and placed in storage mode at 105° W in August 2000. It has the same instrument complement as GOES-8, 9, and 10.

GOES-12 (GOES-M) was launched July 23, 2001. It is the first GOES to fly an SXI-type instrument. Currently, GOES-12 GOES-12 operates as GOES-East at 75° west longitude.

GOES-13 (GOES-N) lifted off aboard a Boeing Delta IV rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. at 6:11 pm EDT on May 24. GOES-N is currently in on-orbit storage mode where it will be able to more rapidly replace a failure of any existing operational GOES.