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| GOES-17 | |
|---|---|
| Name | GOES-17 |
| Mission type | Weather satellite |
| Operator | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| COSPAR ID | 2018-022A |
| SATCAT | 43342 |
| Spacecraft bus | GOES-R Series |
| Manufacturer | Boeing (formerly Boeing Satellite Systems) |
| Launch mass | 5193 kg |
| Power | 3.8 kW |
| Launch date | 2018-03-01 |
| Launch rocket | Atlas V (401) |
| Launch site | Vandenberg Space Force Base |
| Orbit | Geostationary orbit |
| Mission duration | Planned 15 years |
GOES-17 GOES-17 was a geostationary environmental satellite operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as part of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites-R Series. It carried advanced instruments to observe atmospheric, oceanic, and terrestrial phenomena across the Western Hemisphere and provided data used by agencies such as the National Weather Service, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and Japan Meteorological Agency for forecasting, monitoring, and research. The satellite's technologies and operational decisions intersected with programs at NOAA Satellite Operations Facility, industrial contractors like Ball Aerospace and Lockheed Martin, and scientific communities in meteorology, oceanography, and climate science.
GOES-17 was the westernmost asset in the GOES-R Series alongside sister platforms that included satellites associated with organizations such as NOAA, NASA, and commercial partners like Hughes Network Systems. As part of a lineage tracing to earlier platforms developed by companies including Ford Aerospace and programs such as TIROS and GOES-1, the satellite contributed to operational networks involving the National Weather Service, Federal Aviation Administration, and international centers like the World Meteorological Organization and Meteorological Service of Canada. Its role spanned applications from hurricane tracking—relevant to agencies such as Federal Emergency Management Agency and research centers like NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory—to wildfire monitoring that informed entities such as United States Forest Service and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Built on the Boeing 601-based GOES-R spacecraft bus produced under contract with NOAA and NASA, the satellite carried a suite of instruments including the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI), the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), and space weather sensors like the Solar Ultraviolet Imager and the Extreme Ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensors, developed with industrial partners including Ball Aerospace and Lockheed Martin. The ABI provided multispectral observations comparable in capability to instruments on platforms such as Himawari-8, Meteosat series, and Suomi NPP's VIIRS for use by research institutions like National Center for Atmospheric Research and operational centers including NOAA National Hurricane Center. The GLM, a collaboration influenced by lightning research at University of Washington and University of Oklahoma, enabled detection of intra-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning, augmenting ground networks like the National Lightning Detection Network. Space environment payloads served stakeholders including NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, United States Air Force units, and academic groups at Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Launched on an Atlas V (401) from Vandenberg Space Force Base by United Launch Alliance, the mission involved launch vehicle teams from ULA and mission integration with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and NOAA Satellite and Information Service. Early operations included orbit raising, instrument checkouts, and calibration activities coordinated with groups such as NOAA Satellite Operations Facility, NOAA's Office of Satellite and Product Operations, and international calibration partners like Japanese Meteorological Agency and EUMETSAT. The transition from commissioning to operational status required cross-validation with models and datasets from centers including European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, and observatories such as Mauna Loa Observatory for radiometric baselines.
During on-orbit operations, technicians and scientists from NOAA, NASA, and contractors like Boeing and Raytheon encountered thermal control challenges affecting the ABI's Infrared focal plane assembly, prompting investigations involving laboratories at NASA Ames Research Center and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The anomaly reduced sensitivity in certain infrared bands, influencing data assimilation workflows at modeling centers such as NOAA Global Forecast System, UK Met Office, and Canadian Meteorological Centre. Mitigation strategies involved software updates, revised calibration procedures developed in coordination with research teams at University of Wisconsin–Madison and Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, and operational adjustments by NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. The incident spurred reviews by Congressional oversight committees and influenced procurement and testing protocols at industrial partners including Boeing, Maxar Technologies, and Ball Aerospace.
GOES-17 delivered a spectrum of data products used by operational centers like the National Weather Service, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction, National Hurricane Center, and international services including Japan Meteorological Agency, EUMETSAT, and Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Products from the ABI and GLM fed into forecasting systems such as the Global Forecast System, Finite-Volume Cubed-Sphere Dynamical Core models, and regional applications used by agencies like Cal OES and California Air Resources Board for wildfire smoke modeling. Science users at institutions including NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Colorado Boulder, and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory exploited datasets for research on convection, cloud microphysics, ocean surface temperatures relevant to National Ocean Service operations, and volcanic ash monitoring for Federal Aviation Administration flight planning. Data distribution leveraged infrastructures such as NOAA Big Data Program, cloud partners including Amazon Web Services, and data archives maintained by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.
Plans for end-of-life operations involved coordination between NOAA Satellite Operations Facility, NASA, and regulatory bodies including the Federal Communications Commission and International Telecommunication Union to execute disposal maneuvers and orbital retirement consistent with space debris mitigation practices advocated by organizations such as United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. The scientific and operational legacy affected procurement, testing, and risk management policies across agencies and contractors including NOAA, NASA, Boeing, and Ball Aerospace and informed successor programs such as future GOES series satellites and international systems like Himawari and Meteosat Third Generation. Research outcomes derived from the mission continue to appear in journals and conferences attended by members of institutions like American Meteorological Society, American Geophysical Union, and universities including Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Washington.
Category:Geostationary satellites Category:Weather satellites