GOES-S - Atlas V 541 (AV-079) - Canaveral SLC-41 - 02.03.2018

Автор tnt22, 06.12.2017 02:01:13

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tnt22

https://blogs.nasa.gov/goes/2017/12/04/goes-s-to-add-to-advanced-weather-satellite-constellation/
ЦитироватьAnna Heiney
Posted on December 4, 2017

GOES-S to Add to Advanced Weather Satellite Constellation


Artist rendering of a GOES-R series spacecraft with Earth in the background. Image credit: Lockheed Martin

The Geostationary Operation Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites. The GOES-R Series – consisting of the GOES-R, GOES-S, GOES-T and GOES-U spacecraft – significantly improves the detection and observation of environmental phenomena that directly affect public safety, protection of property and our nation's economic health and prosperity.
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The satellites provide advanced imaging with increased spatial resolution and faster coverage for more accurate forecasts, real-time mapping of lightning activity, and improved monitoring of solar activity and space weather. The GOES-R Series will extend the availability of the operational GOES satellite system through 2036.

GOES-S is slated to launch in March 1, 2018 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
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tnt22

https://blogs.nasa.gov/goes/2017/12/05/goes-s-spacecraft-arrives-at-kennedy-space-center/
ЦитироватьAnna Heiney
Posted on December 5, 2017

GOES-S Spacecraft Arrives at Kennedy Space Center


A C-5M transport aircraft arrives at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the Geostationary Operation Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S). The satellite will be offloaded and transported to the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

The next satellite in line to join NOAA's environment-monitoring network is one significant step closer to launch following its delivery Monday to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) arrived at the Florida spaceport aboard a U.S. Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy cargo transport aircraft which touched down on Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility runway Monday evening. The satellite will be offloaded today and transported to the Astrotech payload processing facility in nearby Titusville, where it will spend the next several weeks undergoing final preparations, tests and checkouts for liftoff.

Launch is planned for March 1, 2018 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41.
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tnt22

https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/12/05/goes-s-weather-satellite-arrives-in-florida-for-launch-preparations/
ЦитироватьGOES-S weather satellite arrives in Florida for launch preparations
December 5, 2017 Stephen Clark


The GOES-S satellite, seen here inside its shipping container, arrived at its Florida launch base Monday. Credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

NOAA's latest weather satellite, a new-generation geostationary observatory named GOES-S, landed at the Kennedy Space Center's former space shuttle runway Monday aboard a U.S. Air Force transport jet, ready to begin final preparations for launch March 1 on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.
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Cocooned in a transport container, the GOES-S weather satellite left its Lockheed Martin factory in Denver early Monday, and crews loaded the spacecraft into the cavernous cargo hold of a C-5M Super Galaxy at Buckley Air Force Base to begin the cross-country journey.

The jumbo jet touched down at KSC on Monday afternoon, and NASA, Lockheed Martin and Air Force teams offloaded the satellite for a truck ride to the Astrotech payload processing facility in nearby Titusville, where it arrived Tuesday.

"This is a huge milestone for our program in that we've got the spacecraft all built and tested, and it's ready to go," said Jeff Coyne, head of Lockheed Martin's team overseeing GOES-S's assembly, test and launch operations.

"The hard part is behind us," Coyne said in a phone interview Monday before the satellite's shipment to Florida. "Now we've got some of the fun stuff ahead of us. We get to put it on a big, giant C-5M transport plane, fly it to the Kennedy Space Center, do a little work, and then put it on an Atlas 5 rocket and launch it."

The GOES-S satellite is the second of four upgraded weather observatories built by Lockheed Martin for NOAA. The GOES spacecraft are stationed in geostationary orbit nearly 22,300 miles (35,800 kilometers) over the equator, where they hover over the same geographic position, circling Earth in lock-step with the planet's rotation.

Fr om their high-altitude vantage point, the GOES satellites collect near real-time imagery of hurricanes, storm systems and other weather phenomena to provide forecasters information on their location and movement.

The first in the new series of geostationary weather satellites, known as GOES-R before launch and now renamed GOES-16, debuted a more powerful camera that can take higher-resolution images more frequently. The Advanced Baseline Imager, built by Harris Corp., is sensitive in 16 optical and infrared channels — up from five channels on earlier satellites — allowing meteorologists to distinguish between snow, fog, clouds, volcanic ash, and other particles suspended in the atmosphere.

The ABI camera can also take images of areas-of-interest as often as every 30 seconds, feeding more timely data to forecasters than possible with earlier weather satellites.

The new GOES satellites also carry lightning mappers and a suite of sensors to monitor the sun's energy output and the space environment, helping to improve space weather forecasts.

The modernized four-satellite weather network is expected to cost nearly $11 billion when complete, including NOAA's purchase of the spacecraft, launch services, instruments and upgrades to ground systems.


The GOES-S satellite undergoes a solar array deployment test at Lockheed Martin's factory in Denver. Credit: Lockheed Martin
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Liftoff of the GOES-S satellite is set for 5:02 p.m. EST (2202 GMT) March 1 from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The spacecraft will ride a ULA Atlas 5 rocket with four strap-on solid rocket boosters into geostationary transfer orbit, an elliptical drop-off orbit on the way to GOES-S's final perch 22,000 miles over the equator.

The launch window March 1 extends for two hours.
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Coyne said technicians and engineers will spend the next couple of months verifying GOES-S is ready for launch.

"We'll start out letting the instruments take their turn to do their final inspections, their cleanings, door openings, getting the instruments all ready for operation in flight," Coyne said. "We'll also do our own cleaning on the spacecraft. We run the spacecraft through a limited performance test, put it through its paces one more time, and then we pretty much head into the propellant fueling and get the spacecraft all fueled up and ready to go."

The GOES-S satellite should be fueled with its mixture of storable hypergolic propellants for its planned 15-year mission by early February, then ground crews will mate the craft with the Atlas 5's payload attach fitting and encapsulate it inside the rocket's Swiss-made payload fairing.

If all goes well, the fully-fueled satellite — weighing more than 11,000 pounds (5,000 kilograms) — will be transferred to ULA's Vertical Integration Facility at pad 41 in mid-February for hoisting atop the Atlas 5 rocket.

The move of GOES-S comes as ground controllers monitor the planned drift of the GOES-16 weather satellite toward its final operational position at 75.2 degrees west longitude, wh ere it will enter service Dec. 20 as NOAA's GOES-East satellite covering the eastern United States and the Atlantic Ocean.

GOES-16 launched in November 2016 and has completed a year-long test and calibration campaign to confirm the functionality and performance of its instruments.

NOAA operations weather satellites in the GOES-East and GOES-West positions, and maintains at least one backup observatory ready to replace one of the primary spacecraft in case of a failure, ensuring uninterrupted coverage of the Western Hemisphere from Guam to the west coast of Africa.

The GOES-13 satellite will be moved to a standby location once GOES-16 begins operations in the GOES-East slot.

The GOES-S satellite will be renamed GOES-17 after its launch, and officials plan to position it in the GOES-West slot to track weather systems in the Pacific Ocean, Alaska, Hawaii and the western United States.
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tnt22

Из переписки
Цитировать Astro‏ @AstroCapcom 1 ч. назад

@StephenClark1 @NASASpaceflight @flatoday_jdean Anyone have a clue what this is (I am assuming flight hardware)? Encountered convoy of heavy KSC Security and escort vehicles going the wrong direction on Nasa Parkway outside of the gate headed in the direction of US 1 at 1100.
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Stephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 1 ч. назад

В ответ @AstroCapcom @NASASpaceflight @flatoday_jdean

That's the GOES-S weather satellite. It arrived at KSC yesterday for Atlas 5 launch March 1.

tnt22

https://blogs.nasa.gov/goes/2017/12/07/goes-s-unpacked-for-start-of-prelaunch-preps/
ЦитироватьAnna Heiney
Posted on December 7, 2017

GOES-S Unpacked for Start of Prelaunch Preps


Photo credit: NOAA

Technicians and engineers at the Astrotech Space Operations payload processing facility have placed NOAA's GOES-S satellite on a work stand to begin routine but critical preflight inspections, tests and checkouts. These processing milestones will ensure the spacecraft is ready to withstand the rigors of launch and take its place as the second in a new generation of advanced geostationary weather satellites.
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Photo credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

The satellite arrived Dec. 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center aboard a U.S. Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy cargo transport aircraft and was offloaded the following morning (right). It was then transported to the Astrotech facility, located in nearby Titusville, Florida, to begin processing. Inside the Astrotech high bay, team members carefully removed the shipping container, inspected the satellite (below) and placed it into a workstand (above) for prelaunch work to begin.


Photo credit: NOAA
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tnt22

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/goddard/2017/noaa-s-goes-s-arrives-at-nasa-s-kennedy-space-center-for-launch-processing
ЦитироватьDec. 9, 2017
RELEASE 17-34

NOAA's GOES-S Arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for Launch Processing

NOAA's GOES-S satellite arrived safely at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility, Florida, to prepare for its launch planned for March 1, 2018. GOES-S was shipped fr om Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Littleton, Colorado, on Dec. 4 aboard a U.S. Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy cargo transport.
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NOAA's GOES-S satellite arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility on Dec. 4 aboard a U.S. Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy cargo jet.
Credits: NOAA/NASA/Michael Starobin

After its arrival, the GOES-S spacecraft was pulled from its shipping container, and is now undergoing additional testing and preparation for encapsulation on top of the rocket that will take it to its geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles above Earth.

"This is a major milestone for the GOES-S team. GOES-16, its sister satellite, is about to become operational and is proving to be a game-changer for weather forecasting and environmental hazard assessment," said Tim Walsh, acting system program director for the GOES-R Series Program at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "We are excited to get GOES-S into orbit and extend the area covered by this revolutionary new technology."
 


GOES-S is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V 541 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. GOES-S will weigh over 11,000 pounds at launch.

GOES-S is the second satellite in NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) – R Series, which includes GOES-R, GOES-S, GOES-T and GOES-U. GOES satellites are designated with a letter prior to launch and a number once they achieve geostationary orbit. GOES-R, the first satellite in the series, launched in November 2016 and is now GOES-16. GOES-16 will take its place as NOAA's GOES-East satellite later this month, keeping an eye on the continental United States and the Atlantic Ocean.

GOES-S will be designated GOES-17 upon reaching geostationary orbit. After a period of on-orbit test and checkout, GOES-17 will be operational as GOES-West, providing coverage of the western U.S., Alaska, Hawaii and the Pacific Ocean. An operational GOES-17 will give the Western Hemisphere two next-generation geostationary environmental satellites. Together, GOES-16 and GOES-17 will observe Earth from the west coast of Africa all the way to Guam.


GOES-S now resides in a clean room at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, wh ere it will undergo preparations for launch.
Credits: NOAA/NASA/Michael Starobin

Like the other satellites in the series, GOES-S carries a suite of sophisticated Earth-sensing, lightning-detecting, solar imaging and space weather monitoring instruments. The advanced technology on board GOES-S will provide critical data and imagery in near-real time on severe weather events such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes and flash floods, as well as hazards like fog, aerosols, dust storms, volcanic eruptions and forest fires.

The GOES-R Series is a collaborative acquisition and development effort between NOAA and NASA to develop, launch and operate the satellites. NOAA manages the GOES satellites while NASA oversees the acquisition of the spacecraft and instruments in addition to the management of the launch service through NASA's Launch Services Program based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

For more information about the GOES-R Series of satellites, visit:

John Leslie
NOAA, Silver Spring, Md.
John.leslie@noaa.gov
 301-713-0214


Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov
 301-286-4044


Tori McLendon
NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida
tori.n.mclendon@nasa.gov   
 321-867-9165
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Last Updated: Dec. 8, 2017
Editor: Sara Blumberg

tnt22

http://news.lockheedmartin.com/2017-12-08-Lockheed-Martin-Continues-to-Strengthen-Weather-Forecasting-With-Second-Next-Generation-Weather-Satellite
ЦитироватьLockheed Martin Continues to Strengthen Weather Forecasting With Second Next-Generation Weather Satellite

NOAA's GOES-S Weather Satellite Arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for Launch Preparation

DENVER, Dec. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Timely and accurate weather forecasts can directly affect public safety and protection of property; and the next satellite in the NOAA GOES-R Series will continue to provide more data for sharper, more detailed views of weather systems.
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NOAA's next weather satellite in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – R Series, GOES-S, left its Colorado home where it was built and is now in Florida where it will undergo preparations for launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Monday, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) shipped the next-generation satellite aboard an Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy cargo transport plane to its Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Florida.

GOES-S is scheduled to launch on March 1, 2018, when it will join its sister satellite, GOES-16, in orbit. GOES-16 has already proved vital in forecasting and is a dramatic improvement of weather forecasting speed, accuracy and detail over the previous generation of satellites.

"Our team understands the important mission of this national asset especially after the year of severe weather that our country experienced," said Tim Gasparrini, vice president and GOES-R Series program manager at Lockheed Martin Space Systems. "Progress continues with this second satellite in the series and we're focused on performing the final tests and readying the satellite for a successful launch."

The second of four next-generation geostationary weather satellites, GOES-S will be positioned over the West Coast at 137 degrees west longitude once operational. The data from the whole constellation will support short-term weather forecasts and severe storm warnings, maritime forecasts, seasonal predictions, drought outlooks and space weather predictions. Additionally, the technology will improve hurricane tracking and intensity forecasts, and increase thunderstorm and tornado warning lead time.

Lockheed Martin designed, built and tested the satellite and is responsible for spacecraft launch processing. GOES-S will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. In addition to all four GOES-R Series satellites (R, S, T and U), Lockheed Martin also designed and built the Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUVI) and the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instruments that will fly aboard each spacecraft.

NOAA funds, manages, and will operate the GOES-R Series satellites. NASA oversees the acquisition and development of the GOES-R Series spacecraft and instruments for NOAA. The program is co-located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
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tnt22

00:06 ÷ 00:58
ЦитироватьInside KSC! for Dec. 8, 2017

NASAKennedy

Опубликовано: 8 дек. 2017 г.

NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S, or GOES-S, arrived Monday and was transported to the Astrotech Space Operations facility near Kennedy Space Center where it will be prepared for its scheduled launch March 1, 2018. On center, Kennedy workers enjoyed refreshments and exchanged holiday greetings during the 2017 Center Director's Holiday Coffee, a festive annual event hosted by Center Director Bob Cabana.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUvYpi-3riYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUvYpi-3riY (1:25)

tnt22

ЦитироватьGOES-S Countdown to T-Zero, Episode 1: Launch Fever

NASAKennedy

Опубликовано: 21 дек. 2017 г.

NOAA's GOES-S spacecraft, the next in a series of advanced weather satellites, arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center aboard a U.S. Air Force C-5 Super Galaxy aircraft. The satellite's arrival at the Florida spaceport, followed by its move into the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility in nearby Titusville, signal the start of the final journey to T-zero. GOES-S is slated to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhBSaWJyLoAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhBSaWJyLoA (2:51)

tnt22

http://www.ulalaunch.com/atlas-v-to-launch-goess.aspx
ЦитироватьAtlas V to Launch GOES-S



    [/li]
  • Rocket: Atlas V 541
  • Mission: Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S)
  • Launch Date: Thursday, March 1, 2018
  • Launch Time: 5:02 p.m. EST
  • Launch Broadcast: Look for how you can watch live
  • Launch Location: Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Mission Description: GOES-S is the second of four satellites to be launched for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in a new and advanced series of spacecraft. Once in geostationary orbit, it will be known as GOES-17. Like the other satellites in the series, GOES-S carries a suite of sophisticated Earth-sensing, lightning-detecting, solar imaging and space weather monitoring instruments. The advanced technology on board GOES-S will provide critical data and imagery in near-real time on severe weather events such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes and flash floods, as well as hazards like fog, aerosols, dust storms, volcanic eruptions and forest fires.

Launch Notes: ULA and our heritage rockets have launched all of the operational GOES satellites, including GOES-R in November 2016. GOES-S marks the sixth Atlas V to launch in the 541 configuration, the first of which was the rocket that launched NASA's Curiosity rover to Mars in 2011.

Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch; hashtags #AtlasV #GOESS.


Go Atlas! Go Centaur! Go GOES-S!
17:02 EST 2018-03-01 -> 22:02 UTC 2018-03-01 (01:02 ДМВ 2018-03-02)

tnt22

https://blogs.nasa.gov/goes/2018/01/16/noaas-goes-s-spacecraft-prepared-for-encapsulation/
ЦитироватьNOAA's GOES-S Spacecraft Prepares for Encapsulation

Linda Herridge
Posted on January 16, 2018



NOAA's GOES-S weather satellite is prepared for encapsulation in its payload fairing inside Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett


Technicians and engineers prepare NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S, or GOES-S, for encapsulation in its payload fairing inside a clean room at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida. After encapsulation, the weather satellite will be moved to Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites. The GOES-R series – consisting of the GOES-R, GOES-S, GOES-T and GOES-U spacecraft – will significantly improve the detection and observation of environmental phenomena that directly affect public safety, protection of property and the nation's economic health and prosperity. GOES-S is slated to launch March 1, 2018 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

tnt22

https://blogs.nasa.gov/goes/2018/01/26/atlas-v-booster-centaur-arrive-for-goes-s/

или

https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2018/01/26/atlas-v-booster-centaur-arrive-for-goes-s/
ЦитироватьAtlas V Booster, Centaur Arrive for GOES-S

Anna Heiney
Posted Jan 26, 2018 at 12:30 pm



The United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster and Centaur stage for NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) are offloaded from the Mariner transport ship at the Army Wharf at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster and Centaur stage for NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) arrived this week at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
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The United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster for NOAA's GOES-S mission arrives at the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center near Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

The Mariner transport ship delivered the components to the Army Wharf at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Atlas V booster was moved to the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center near Space Launch Complex 41; the Centaur was taken to the Delta Operations Center.

GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites. The satellite is slated to launch aboard the Atlas V rocket March 1.
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Salo

"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

tnt22

https://blogs.nasa.gov/goes/2018/01/29/centaur-upper-stage-arrives-at-delta-operations-center/
ЦитироватьCentaur Upper Stage Arrives at Delta Operations Center

Anna Heiney
Posted Jan 29, 2018 at 1:35 pm


Under the watchful eyes of technicians and engineers, the Centaur upper stage that will help launch NOAA's GOES-S spacecraft is lifted from its transporter inside the Delta Operations Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The Centaur upper stage, part of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will help launch NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S, is in place for prelaunch processing. The Centaur arrived at the Delta Operations Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Jan. 24, two days after its delivery by ship to nearby Port Canaveral.

GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites. The GOES-R series – consisting of the GOES-R, GOES-S, GOES-T and GOES-U spacecraft – will significantly improve the detection and observation of environmental phenomena that directly affect public safety, protection of property and the nation's economic health and prosperity. GOES-S is slated to launch aboard the Atlas V rocket March 1.

tnt22

https://blogs.nasa.gov/goes/2018/02/07/atlas-v-first-stage-lifted-vertical-at-space-launch-complex-41-for-goes-s-mission/
ЦитироватьAtlas V First Stage Lifted Vertical at Space Launch Complex 41 for GOES-S Mission

Linda Herridge
Posted Feb 7, 2018 at 2:33 pm


Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V first stage was lifted by crane into the Vertical Integration Facility on Jan. 31, 2018, at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rocket will be positioned on its launcher to boost NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-S).

The satellite is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites that will significantly improve the detection and observation of environmental phenomena that directly affect public safety. GOES-S is slated to launch March 1, 2018, aboard the Atlas V rocket.

tnt22

ЦитироватьNOAA Satellites‏Verified account @NOAASatellites 18h ago

The #GOESS #GOES17 team is preparing for launch on March 1st from @NASA Kennedy, the first stage booster on the @ULALaunch Atlas V is now on the stand at the Vertical Integration Facility and the the propellant loading process is complete! More photos: https://goo.gl/9jZ6xy 
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tnt22

https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/02/14/nasa-gears-up-for-brisk-launch-pace-starting-with-weather-satellite/
ЦитироватьNASA gears up for brisk launch pace, starting with weather satellite
February 14, 2018 Stephen Clark


The first stage of the Atlas 5 rocket set to launch NOAA's GOES-S weather satellite was lifted atop its mobile launch platform Jan. 31 inside the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Engineers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center tasked with overseeing launches of scientific satellites and interplanetary probes will be responsible later this year for ensuring six major missions safely get into space over a span of a little more than six months, beginning with the launch of NOAA's new GOES-S weather observatory on an Atlas 5 rocket March 1.
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Preparations for the first mission of NASA's 2018 launch campaign are well underway at Cape Canaveral.

The build-up of the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket assigned to launch the GOES-S weather satellite began Jan. 31 inside the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad. Technicians at the vertical rocket assembly hangar then began installing the Atlas 5's four strap-on solid rocket boosters and Centaur upper stage, which will fire its RL10 engine three times to deploy the GOES-S payload on a track leading to its planned operating perch nearly 22,300 miles (35,800 kilometers) over the equator.


The Centaur upper stage for the Atlas 5 rocket that will launch NOAA's GOES-S weather satellite is pictured inside the Delta Operations Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station last month. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The GOES-S weather satellite, featuring improved imaging capabilities to give forecasters more detailed and more timely views of hurricanes and severe storms, will be added on top of the Atlas 5 rocket Feb. 16. Built by Lockheed Martin, GOES-S is set to join a sister satellite named GOES-16 launched in November 2016.

Liftoff of the 11,500-pound (5,200-kilogram) GOES-S satellite is scheduled for March 1 during a two-hour window opening at 5:02 p.m. EST (2202 GMT).

Once launched, NOAA will rename GOES-S as GOES-17, and the new observatory will enter service by the end of the year to cover the Pacific Ocean and the Western United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. The GOES-16 satellite began regular weather observations in December after a year-long test campaign, watching the Eastern United States and hurricane zones in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

The new GOES-R satellite series, which includes two more spacecraft set for launch in 2020 and 2024, replace NOAA's aging weather sentinels in geostationary orbit.

"When it launches March 1 and becomes operational later this year, GOES-S will see the west in true high-definition, and along with the remaining satellites in our GOES-R series, will extend the life of NOAA's geostationary satellite constellation through 2036," said Tim Walsh, acting director of NOAA's GOES-R program.

"GOES-S, our latest and greatest, will complete the implementation of high-resolution coverage of the entire country, delivering better observations faster than ever before," said Joe Pica, director of the National Weather Service's office of observations. "GOES-S will become GOES-West and keep an eye on the weather patterns that impact the West."


The GOES-S weather satellite in a clean room at the Astrotech processing facility in Titusville, Florida. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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tnt22

ЦитироватьStephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 3m ago

ULA is capping assembly of an Atlas 5 rocket today at the Cape, preparing for March 1 launch with NOAA's GOES-S weather satellite.
Цитировать Tory Bruno‏Verified account @torybruno 2h ago

#GOES-S has arrived safely at the VIF. Wnds are mild, no rain, no lightning. Hoist ops commencing

tnt22

https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/02/16/goes-s-weather-observatory-hoisted-atop-atlas-5-rocket/
ЦитироватьGOES-S weather observatory hoisted atop Atlas 5 rocket
February 16, 2018 Stephen Clark


NOAA's GOES-S weather satellite. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NOAA's next geostationary weather satellite, GOES-S, was raised on top of an Atlas 5 launcher Friday at Cape Canaveral in preparation for liftoff March 1 to keep watch over the Pacific Ocean and the Western United States.

Fully fueled for a planned 15-year mission in space, the roughly 11,500-pound (5,200-kilogram) GOES-S spacecraft arrived at the base of the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad early Friday after a road trip fr om the nearby Astrotech satellite processing facility in Titusville, Florida.
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Cranes hoisted the satellite, already encapsulated inside the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5's Swiss-built nose cone, atop the two-stage rocket inside the vertical hangar, a NASA spokesperson said.

The addition of the GOES-S satellite completes assembly of the Atlas 5 rocket. Ground crews began stacking the rocket Jan. 31 with the mounting of the Atlas 5's first stage on a mobile platform inside the VIF, then added four solid rocket boosters and a Centaur upper stage cocooned inside the payload fairing's lower section.

ULA technicians accomplished a combined systems test after assembling the major components of the rocket, and further testing of electrical interfaces between the Atlas 5 and the GOES-S satellite are planned next week.

A launch readiness review Feb. 27 will give approval to roll the Atlas 5 rocket from the VIF to the launch pad, assuming all launcher, spacecraft, range and ground systems are ready. The rollout is scheduled for the morning of Feb. 28, followed by filling of the Atlas 5's first stage with RP-1 kerosene fuel.

The ULA launch team will load super-cold liquid oxygen into the first stage, and a liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen mixture into the Centaur upper stage, during the March 1 countdown. The two-hour launch window opens at 5:02 p.m. EST (2202 GMT).

The Atlas 5 rocket will deploy the GOES-S satellite into an elliptical transfer orbit more than three hours after liftoff. The Lockheed Martin-built spacecraft will maneuver into a circular geostationary orbit a few weeks later, taking position nearly 22,300 miles (35,800 kilometers) over the equator, wh ere its velocity will match Earth's rotation, giving its weather instruments an uninterrupted view of same segment of the planet.

GOES-S will be renamed GOES-17 after launch, joining a sister satellite named GOES-16 that launched in November 2016, also aboard an Atlas 5 rocket.


File photo of the GOES-R satellite, the predecessor to GOES-S, being lifted atop its Atlas 5 rocket before launch in November 2016. Credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

After several months of in-orbit testing, NOAA will take control of the satellite and press it into service at 137 degrees west longitude to cover the Pacific Ocean and the Western United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.

The GOES-16 satellite began regular weather observations in December after a year-long test campaign, watching the Eastern United States and hurricane zones in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

The new GOES-R satellite series, which includes two more spacecraft set for launch in 2020 and 2024, replace NOAA's aging weather sentinels in geostationary orbit.

"When it launches March 1 and becomes operational later this year, GOES-S will see the west in true high-definition, and along with the remaining satellites in our GOES-R series, will extend the life of NOAA's geostationary satellite constellation through 2036," said Tim Walsh, acting director of NOAA's GOES-R program.

Once both operational, GOES-16 and GOES-17 — known as GOES-R and GOES-S before their launch — will give weather forecasters an enhanced view of weather patterns across the Western Hemisphere, from New Zealand, across the Americas to West Africa, and almost from pole to pole.

The upgraded GOES satellites provide higher-resolution imagery with an advanced imaging camera that can help forecasters distinguish between clouds, snow cover, fog, smoke and volcanic ash in the atmosphere. The new GOES satellites will return imagery up to five times more often than NOAA's previous meteorological observers in geostationary orbit.

"These satellites are giving us the ability to look at storms as often as every 30 seconds, allowing forecasters to see storms as they're developing instead of as they've already happened," Walsh said.

Forecasters will use the new satellites to help track hurricanes, severe storms, lightning strikes, wildfires, volcanic eruptions and ground fog.

The GOES-16 satellite covering the U.S. East Coast and Atlantic Ocean is already proving its value, NOAA officials said.

"For many decades, NOAA satellites have been the backbone of our weather and climate forecasts, but as we've already seen with GOES-16, the GOES-R series is a quantum leap above any of its predecessors," said Ajay Mehta, acting deputy assistant administrator for systems at NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service.

"GOES-16, even beyond its spectacular imagery, is already proving to be a game-changer with much more refined, higher quality data for faster and more accurate weather forecasts and warnings," Mehta said in a conference call with reporters earlier this month. "This means more lives are saved and better environmental intelligence for state and local officials, who, for example, may need to make decisions about when to call for evacuations ahead of life-threatening wildfires."
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tnt22

ЦитироватьNASA_LSP‏Verified account @NASA_LSP 10h ago

Rocket science in action! SRBs were mated to the @ulalaunch #atlasv first stage, Centaur upper stage was hoisted into place at SLC-41 and @NOAASatellites #GOESS was encapsulated in its payload fairing. We are closing in on T-0 just over one week away!
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