GOES-N

GOES-N
Name	GOES-N
Mission type	Meteorology
Operator	NOAA
Cospar id	2006-015A
Satcat	29109
Mission duration	Planned: 10 years
Spacecraft bus	Boeing 601
Manufacturer	Boeing
Launch mass	2914 kg
Launch date	2006-05-24 UTC
Launch rocket	Delta IV M+(4,2)
Launch site	Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 37
Orbit reference	Geostationary orbit

GOES-N GOES-N was a geostationary weather satellite built for NOAA and the National Weather Service as part of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite series. It was constructed by Boeing on the Boeing 601 platform, launched by a United Launch Alliance Delta IV vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in 2006, and later renamed during its operational reassignment. The spacecraft provided imaging and sounding data critical to agencies such as the National Hurricane Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and international partners including EUMETSAT.

Overview

GOES-N belonged to the GOES-N series procured under contracts with NOAA and the United States Air Force to replace aging assets like GOES-11 and support users including the National Weather Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and NASA. The satellite carried instruments to observe atmospheric phenomena relevant to organizations such as the National Hurricane Center, the Storm Prediction Center, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, and research institutions like NOAA's National Climatic Data Center.

Spacecraft Design and Instruments

Built on the Boeing 601 bus, GOES-N's systems reflected heritage from platforms used by Intelsat and other commercial operators. The payload included an imager and a sounder derived from designs used on earlier GOES satellites, supporting operational products for groups such as the National Weather Service, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and academic users at University of Wisconsin–Madison and Colorado State University. Redundant subsystems mirrored approaches used in TOPEX/Poseidon and Landsat programs to ensure continuity for customers including the National Hurricane Center and NOAA Weather Radio.

Launch and Orbit

Launched on 24 May 2006 by a Delta IV M+(4,2) from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 37, the mission used a geostationary transfer orbit insertion and spent-boost maneuvers to reach a geostationary orbit over the equator. The launch campaign involved organizations such as United Launch Alliance, the Air Force Space Command, and contractor teams from Boeing and NOAA. Ground control and data dissemination relied on facilities at NOAA's Satellite Operations Facility, Wallops Flight Facility, and international relay through EUMETSAT partnerships.

Operational History

Once on-station, GOES-N entered operations providing imagery and sounding products to operational centers including the National Weather Service, the National Hurricane Center, and the Storm Prediction Center. The satellite supported event response for incidents like Hurricane Katrina aftermath analyses used by FEMA and academic studies at institutions such as Colorado State University and University of Oklahoma. GOES-N's data fed assimilation systems at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and was used by research programs including the Global Earth Observation System of Systems and projects associated with NASA and NOAA cooperative research.

Scientific and Meteorological Contributions

GOES-N supplied geostationary imaging and sounding that contributed to forecasting at the National Weather Service, storm tracking at the National Hurricane Center, and climate monitoring at the National Climatic Data Center. Its observations aided numerical weather prediction at the Global Forecast System and regional models run by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and NOAA's Environmental Modeling Center. Research groups at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Colorado Boulder, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography utilized its datasets for studies in convection, atmospheric chemistry, and ocean–atmosphere interactions, complementing polar-orbiting missions like NOAA-18 and Suomi NPP.

Issues, Anomalies, and Decommissioning

During its lifetime the spacecraft experienced anomalies consistent with aging satellite fleets and component wear observed on platforms such as GOES-8 and GOES-10. Operations teams from NOAA and contractors including Boeing managed on-orbit contingencies and software updates in coordination with centers like the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility. After fulfilling its operational role and being superseded by newer satellites procured under programs involving NASA and NOAA collaboration, the spacecraft was moved to a disposal orbit consistent with international guidelines followed by organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union and the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee.

Category:Weather satellites Category:Satellites launched in 2006 Category:NOAA satellites