Atlas V 541 - GOES-T - Canaveral SLC-41 - 1 March 2022 (21:38 UTC)

[input~2]

2 objects cataloged:

2022-022A/51850 in 8897 x 35277 km x 9.42°
2022-022B/51851 in 8902 x 35274 km x 9.37°

AFAIU these should be resp. 2022-021A & 2022-021B

International designator for 51850 has now been corrected (not yet for 51851...)

[Targeteer]

[Josh_from_Canada]

Rocket Cam

[dsmillman]

Latest orbital elements for GOES-T:

Perigee: 16,776.1 km
Apogee: 35,281.7 km
Inclination: 4.7 °
Period: 967.3 minutes
Semi major axis: 32399 km

So any problems have been solved.

[edkyle99]

Stephen Clark has written a story at SFN explaining the "minor snag" that caused the first orbit raising burn on March 3 to be aborted.  Had to do with details of a temperature sensor relocation.  Orbit raising resumed on March 5.

 - Ed Kyle

[kdhilliard]

Stephen Clark has written a story at SFN explaining the "minor snag" that caused the first orbit raising burn on March 3 to be aborted. ...

Link:  GOES-T weather satellite resumes orbit-raising after minor snag · Stephen Clark · March 10, 2022 · Spaceflight Now

[Rondaz]

We’ve just received confirmation that #GOEST has executed its final engine burn, and has reached geostationary orbit 22,236 miles above Earth! It has now been renamed GOES-18!

https://twitter.com/NOAASatellites/status/1503437309131120640

[Targeteer]

51850    OBJECT A   2022-021A   2022-03-01   1231.18min   1.35deg   35283km   28064km

[Targeteer]

https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/earth-from-orbit-noaa-debuts-first-imagery-from-goes-18

May 12, 2022
Earth from Orbit: NOAA Debuts First Imagery from GOES-18


On May 11, 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, shared the first images of the Western Hemisphere from its Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T (GOES-T). Later designated GOES-18, the satellite’s Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument recently captured stunning views of Earth.

Launched by NASA on March 1, GOES-18 lifted off at 4:38 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida. The ABI views Earth with 16 different channels, each measuring energy at different wavelengths along the electromagnetic spectrum to obtain information about Earth’s atmosphere, land, and ocean.

[Targeteer]

https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/noaa-shares-flashy-first-imagery-goes-18-lightning-mapper

 NOAA Shares Flashy First Imagery from GOES-18 Lightning Mapper
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Share
June 2, 2022
Download MP4
Download MP4 Text-Free

The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instrument, onboard NOAA’s GOES-18 satellite, is now providing striking lightning observations of the Western Hemisphere. GOES-18 launched on March 1, 2022.

Recently, the GOES-18 GLM detected and monitored lightning activity in severe storms across the U.S. A derecho moved through the Northern Plains on May 12, particularly affecting eastern South Dakota and west central Minnesota. Derechos feature unusually widespread wind damage and according to NOAA’s National Weather Service, the May 12 event was one of the most extreme examples on record due to the number of significant wind gusts. This derecho produced straight-line winds between 60 and 100+ miles per hour. Several tornadoes were also confirmed in the area as well as significant blowing dust. The storm uprooted trees, damaged property, caused power outages, and resulted in injuries and at least two deaths.

GLM detects and maps total lightning—in-cloud, cloud-to-cloud, and cloud-to-ground—continuously over the Americas and adjacent ocean regions. GLM offers insights beyond the presence of a lightning strike, revealing the extent of lightning flashes and the distance they travel.

Rapid increases in total lightning activity often precede severe and tornadic thunderstorms. Characterizing lightning activity in storms allows forecasters to identify intensifying storms before they produce damaging winds, hail or tornadoes. GLM data enable forecasters to detect electrically active storms, determine the extent of the lightning threat, identify strengthening and weakening storms, monitor storm evolution, and supplement radar data where coverage is poor.

Scientists and forecasters have made great advances in the five years since the first GLM data became available from GOES-16, including the ability to extract three-dimensional information from these natively two-dimensional observations. Flying along with the storms reveals just how well the GLM captures the evolution of the individual storm cells that combine to form massive storm systems. Rapidly updating GLM data gives forecasters the ability to monitor lightning flashes with pinpoint precision over much of the Western Hemisphere.

Widespread weather events pose particular challenges for the aviation industry. Increased lightning flashes as observed by GLM occur in storms with more turbulent updrafts and downdrafts, which are a significant hazard to aircraft. GLM imagery helps pilots and air traffic controllers route flights to maximize safety and minimize economic impacts.

GOES-18 is currently undergoing post-launch testing, validation and calibration of its instruments and systems to prepare it for operations. NOAA plans for GOES-18 to replace GOES-17 as GOES West in early 2023. Imagery and data from GOES-18 during the post-launch testing phase should be considered preliminary and non-operational.

[Targeteer]

https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/earth-orbit-noaas-goes-18-now-goes-west

 Earth from Orbit: NOAA’s GOES-18 is now GOES West

NOAA’s operational satellite fleet has a new member. GOES-18 entered service as GOES West on Jan. 4, 2023.
Image of earth

The milestone comes after a Mar. 1, 2022, launch and post-launch testing of the satellite’s instruments, systems, and data. GOES-18 replaces GOES-17 as GOES West, located 22,236 miles above the equator over the Pacific Ocean. GOES-17 will become an on-orbit standby.

In its new role, GOES-18 will serve as NOAA's primary geostationary satellite for detecting and monitoring Pacific hurricanes, atmospheric rivers, coastal fog, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, and other environmental phenomena that affect the western contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and Central America.

The satellite delivers high-resolution visible and infrared imagery, atmospheric measurements, and real-time mapping of lightning activity. It is ideally located to monitor the northeastern Pacific Ocean, where many weather systems that affect the continental U.S. originate. GOES-18 also watches the sun and detects approaching space weather hazards.

GOES-18 joins GOES-16 (GOES East) in operational service. Together the two satellites watch over more than half the globe, from the west coast of Africa to New Zealand and from near the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle. Their data assists weather forecasters, emergency managers, first responders, the aviation and shipping industries, and more.
Image of the Earth
Map showing the geographical coverage of the GOES East and West satellites. (NOAA)

While GOES-18 has just officially entered operational service, the satellite has been assisting NOAA National Weather Service forecasters for months. Usually, GOES satellites complete post-launch testing in a location over the central U.S., but GOES-18’s early successes allowed NOAA to move it to its future operational location early. GOES-18 began sending imagery from its new location in June.

Due to an issue with the cooling system on GOES-17’s Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument, some GOES-17 imagery was degraded during certain times of the year. In August, NOAA implemented a unique solution to mitigate the loss of some GOES-17 imagery during these “warm” periods. From Aug. 1 to Sept. 8 and from Oct. 13 to Nov. 16, NOAA provided data from the GOES-18 ABI to GOES West data users. This was accomplished through a data “interleave” that delivered GOES-18 ABI data alongside GOES-17 lightning mapper and space weather data. This allowed forecasters to utilize GOES-18 imagery during the height of the Pacific hurricane season.

Now that GOES-18 is operating as GOES West, GOES-17 will be moved to a central location between GOES East and GOES West to serve as a backup for the operational constellation.

The GOES-R Series Program is a four-satellite mission that includes GOES-R (GOES-16, launched in 2016), GOES-S (GOES-17, launched in 2018), GOES-T (GOES-18), and GOES-U, which is scheduled to launch in 2024. The program is a collaborative effort between NOAA and NASA. NASA builds and launches the satellites for NOAA, which operates them and distributes their data to users worldwide.

GOES-R Series satellites are planned to operate into the 2030s. NOAA and NASA have already begun work on the next-generation geostationary mission called Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO). The Department of Commerce formally approved the GeoXO Program on Dec. 14, 2022. GeoXO will continue observations provided by GOES-R and bring new capabilities to address our changing planet and the evolving needs of NOAA’s data users.

[Targeteer]

https://www.l3harris.com/newsroom/trade-release/2023/01/noaas-goes-18-weather-satellite-declared-operational-l3harris?sf174016542=1&fbclid=IwAR3qLGDDpopWdlY-HZiVtN8x3bamL8Vk8f50WE4xwJiuPDuCVVU3aeedZZw

 NOAA’s GOES-18 Weather Satellite Declared Operational with L3Harris Advanced Baseline Imager Technology Onboard

Highlights:

• Provides NOAA with increased environmental, weather and monitoring capabilities

• Monitors severe weather conditions across the Western Hemisphere every 30 seconds

• Delivers five times faster coverage than the previous generation imager
SA
Space & Airborne Systems
Jan 5, 2023 | 2 MINUTE Read

    Space & Airborne Systems
    Resilient Communications and Networks
    Weather and Environment

MELBOURNE, Fla. — NOAA declared the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-18 fully operational as GOES West, marking a significant milestone for severe weather detection in the Western Hemisphere.

Launched March 1, 2022, the primary instrument aboard GOES-18 is the L3Harris high-resolution Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI). L3Harris also produced the enterprise ground system which processes the imagery and controls the weather satellite constellation and its suite of instruments.

“Yesterday's declaration of GOES-18 as fully operational reinforces our relentless pursuit to build a more weather-ready nation,” said Rob Mitrevski, Vice President and General Manager, Spectral Solutions, Space and Airborne Systems, L3Harris. “As a long-standing and trusted partner to NOAA, we have successfully delivered more than 75 payloads in 60 years and are proud of the significant role our technology is playing to help detect future severe weather events.”

The ABI views Earth with 16 spectral bands and provides three times more spectral information, four times the spatial resolution, and more than five times faster coverage than the previous generation imager. The ABI onboard GOES-18 provides critical weather data on the western contiguous U.S., Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, Central America and the Pacific.

The final satellite in the GOES-R series of advanced geostationary weather sensors, GOES-U, is slated to launch in 2024 and features L3Harris’ fourth ABI. NOAA’s next-generation geostationary satellite mission, Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO), will begin operating in the early 2030s and the imager award is expected to be announced in early 2023.

[catdlr]

Jul 29, 2024
The Park Fire north of Sacramento, California has grown to an "astonishing 239,000 acres," according to NOAA GOES-18 views. See time-lapses of its growth here.