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

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Newest NOAA weather satellite suffers critical malfunction

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released some bad news today: the GOES-17 weather satellite that launched almost two months ago has a cooling problem that could endanger the majority of the satellite's value.
GOES-17 is the second of a new generation of weather satellite to join NOAA's orbital fleet. Its predecessor is covering the US East Coast, with GOES-17 meant to become "GOES-West." While providing higher-resolution images of atmospheric conditions, it also tracks fires, lightning strikes, and solar behavior. It's important that NOAA stays ahead of the loss of dying satellites by launching new satellites that ensure no gap in global coverage ever occurs.
The various instruments onboard the satellite have been put through their paces to make sure everything is working properly before it goes into official operation. Several weeks ago, it became clear that the most important instrument—the Advanced Baseline Imager—had a cooling problem. This instrument images the Earth at a number of different wavelengths, including the visible portion of the spectrum as well as infrared wavelengths that help detect clouds and water vapor content.
The infrared wavelengths are currently offline. The satellite has to be actively cooled for these precision instruments to function, and the infrared wavelengths only work if the sensor stays below 60K—that's about a cool -350°F. The cooling system is only reaching that temperature 12 hours a day. The satellite can still produce visible spectrum images, as well as the solar and lightning monitoring, but it's not a glorious next-gen weather satellite without that infrared data.
According to NOAA's release, the agency is investigating the source of the cooling problem and hoping it can find some sort of fix that improves the system's performance. But NOAA also notes that "if efforts to restore the cooling system are unsuccessful, alternative concepts and modes will be considered to maximize the operational utility of the [Advanced Baseline Imager]."
The "make the best of a bad situation" scenario is far from ideal, though. If GOES-17 doesn't fully come online this fall as planned, it's not like US weather forecasters will be in the dark—the satellites currently covering that portion of the globe are in good shape. That said, GOES-17 was set to be a shiny new toy for forecasters, and any hitch in the satellite succession plan is potentially costly. So here's hoping GOES-17 can just chill.

неужели "деньги на ветер"?  :evil:

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T-Zero: Getting GOES-S Ready to Fly

NASA Video

Опубликовано: 1 июн. 2018 г.

Go behind the scenes at NASA's Kennedy Space Center and find out what it takes to get a rocket, and its scientific payload, ready to fly.

(17:19)

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https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/content/goes-17-releases-'first-light'-imagery-its-advanced-baseline-imager-abi

GOES-17 Releases 'First Light' Imagery from its Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI)

Thursday, May 31, 2018

The first imagery from NOAA's GOES-17 Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) made its public debut 
today. 


GOES-17 took this stunning, full-disk snapshot of Earth's Western Hemisphere from its checkout position at 12:00 p.m. EDT on May 20, 2018, using the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument. GOES-17 observes Earth from an equatorial vantage point approximately 22,300 miles above the surface. Credit: NOAA/NASA 

To Download the Full Resolution Image (82 MB) Click Here

While experts continue to address an issue with the cooling system of the satellite's imager, new views from GOES-17 show that its ABI is providing beautiful – and useful – imagery of the Western Hemisphere. This imagery was created using two visible bands (blue and red) and one near-infrared "vegetation" band that are functional with the current cooling system performance.

The imagery also incorporates input from one of the ABI's "longwave" infrared bands that is functional during a portion of the day despite the cooling system issue.

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When combined as a "GeoColor" image, depicting the Earth in vivid detail and colors intuitive to human vision, these bands provide valuable information for monitoring dust, haze, smoke, clouds, fog, winds and vegetation. ABI imagery also provides information on cloud motion, helping meteorologists monitor and forecast severe weather and hurricanes. The improved resolution and faster scanning ability of the instrument compared to the previous generation of GOES allow forecasters to more rapidly detect and analyze storms as they are developing and intensifying.

GOES-17 is the second in a series of next-generation geostationary weather satellites. Like GOES-16, its sister satellite operating as GOES East, GOES-17 is designed to provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth from 22,300 miles above the equator.

GOES-17 launched on March 1, 2018, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The satellite is currently in its post-launch checkout and testing phase, the period in which its instruments and systems are calibrated, validated and assessed for operational usage. Imagery released from GOES-17 during the post-launch testing phase should be considered preliminary and non-operational.
...

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NOAA's GOES-17 Shows Rainfall Rates in Bud

NASA Video

Опубликовано: 13 июн. 2018 г.

This animation fades from NOAA's GOES-17 satellite enhanced infrared image to rainfall rates derived from the GPM core satellite. On June 12, 2018 at 7:27 p.m. EDT (2327 UTC) the GPM core satellite found moderate to heavy precipitation was only present in the southeastern quadrant of the weakening hurricane Bud. Heaviest rainfall in the area, of over 78 mm (3.1 inches) per hour, was occurring near the Mexico's coastline well to the northeast of BUD's center of circulation Credit: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce

(0:09)

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SpaceFlight Insider‏ @SpaceflightIns 11 ч. назад

NOAA releases first images of Sun taken by GOES 17 http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/space-flight-news/noaa-releases-first-images-of-sun-taken-by-goes-17/ ...

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Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 13 мин. назад

NOAA just provided an update on the status of the key instrument on the GOES-17 weather satellite, which the agency said in May was suffering a cooling problem inhibiting its performance at some infrared wavelengths.

12 мин. назад

NOAA said they've been able to mitigate some of the performance impacts on the ABI instrument, but still see reduced availability in some infrared channels. Root cause investigation is ongoing.

11 мин. назад

Even if the problem can't be resolved, NOAA officials said they're confident that the spacecraft can still enter service as GOES-West this fall and perform better than current GOES-West spacecraft. May delay GOES-T launch in 2020, though, to resolve the issue.

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https://spacenews.com/noaa-still-grappling-with-instrument-problem-on-new-weather-satellite/

NOAA still grappling with instrument problem on new weather satellite
by Jeff Foust — July 24, 2018


NOAA says they have restored some performance in the primary Earth-facing instrument on the GOES-17 (formerly GOES-S) satellite, but have yet to fully correct the problem or determine its root cause. Credit: Lockheed Martin

WASHINGTON — Engineers have made some progress in restoring the performance of the key instrument on a weather satellite launched earlier this year, but have yet to fully correct the problem or determine its root cause, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced July 24.

In a teleconference with reporters, NOAA officials said they had been able to improve the availability of infrared and near-infrared channels on the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument on the GOES-17 satellite since the agency first reported the problem two months ago. The spacecraft, originally known as GOES-S, launched in March.

"ABI is already demonstrating improved performance from what was initially observed," said Pam Sullivan, director of the GOES-R system program. Currently, 13 of the instrument's 16 channels are available 24 hours a day, with the other three able to operate at least 20 hours a day.

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That will change, though, on a seasonal basis, depending on the amount of sunlight that shines into the instrument. By September, the hottest part of the orbit, only 10 of 16 channels will be available 24 hours a day, she said, with the other six available "most of the day."

As one team works to improve the performance of the ABI on GOES-17, another team is tracking down the root cause of the instrument. Sullivan said the issue appears to be with loop heat pipes that contain propylene coolant. "It doesn't seem to be flowing appropriately through the loops," she said.

She said that team has identified a "small handful" of likely causes for the lack of coolant flow. They include "excess non-condensable gas" or foreign object debris in the pipes. "Either one of those might prevent the fluid from traveling though the loop heat pipe as intended," she said. There could also be mechanical damage to the pipes.

When NOAA first announced the problem with the ABI on GOES-17 in May, the agency said they did not see a similar problem with an identical instrument on GOES-16, the first of the GOES-R series of next-generation weather satellites launched in 2016. However, Sullivan said that, since then, engineers have seen "some evidence of reduced functionality" in the loop heat pipes in that spacecraft's ABI, but one that has not affected the performance of the instrument.

Sullivan said, in the case of GOES-16, the problem had existed from the beginning of the mission but was only noticed when engineers took a closer look at the instrument's performance. "There's no signs at this point that the GOES-16 performance is changing now," she said.

NOAA still expects to put GOES-17 into service later this year as GOES-West at 137 degrees west, replacing GOES-15 at that orbital slot. "Even during this checkout phase, GOES-17 is observing with more channels and a higher resolution with more rapid refresh than what we currently have with the current GOES-West satellite," Sullivan said. "While we're not going to get the full GOES-17 functionality, we are going to receive more and better data then we currently have."

NOAA added that it can augment data from other sources, including other GOES satellites as well as from Japanese Himawari satellites, which also have a version of the ABI instrument. The National Weather Service doesn't expect this problem to have an effect on its ability to produce weather forecasts.

"Right now, we have an operational constellation," said Joe Pica, director of the National Weather Service's Office of Observations. "We're able to carry out our mission today without any degradation."

The problem, though, could delay the launch of the next satellite in the series, GOES-T, currently planned for 2020. "We haven't given up on that yet," Sullivan said of that planned launch date. "However, we really need to decide what modifications and what testing we want to do on the GOES-T instruments before we confirm those dates."

"There's no doubt that the problems we are experiencing with the cooling system are disappointing, and not what we expected of GOES-17 when we launched," said Steve Volz, director of NOAA's Satellite and Information Service. "But we are committed to getting this right. We will figure out what happened on GOES-17 so that it doesn't occur again on our other GOES satellites."

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https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-noaa-convene-goes-17-mishap-investigation-board

Oct. 2, 2018
RELEASE 18-082

NASA, NOAA Convene GOES 17 Mishap Investigation Board


A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-S. Launch was at 5:02 p.m. EST, March 1, 2018.
Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have appointed a board to investigate an instrument anomaly aboard the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 17 weather satellite currently in orbit.

During postlaunch testing of the satellite's Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument, it was discovered that the instrument's infrared detectors cannot be maintained at their required operating temperatures under certain seasonal and orbital conditions, resulting in a loss of approximately three percent of the instrument's availability over the course of a year. This loss exceeds a key design requirement.

NASA and NOAA senior leadership have determined the need to convene the mishap investigation board, which will work to determine the root or proximate cause of the anomaly and identify actions to prevent occurrences on future satellites. The board will begin its work as soon as possible.

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David McGowan, chief engineer at NASA's Langley Research Center, will chair the five-member board. The other four members are:

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• Dr. Joel Lachter, human factors investigator, NASA's Ames Research Center
• Rich Slywczak, safety officer, NASA's Glenn Research Center
• Hank Rotter, NASA Engineering and Safety Center technical fellow for active thermal systems, NASA's Johnson Space Center
• Julie Grantier, senior technical lead for systems engineering, NASA's Glenn Research Center
  

GOES-17 is one of several next-generation weather satellites in the GOES-R series, including GOES-16, which currently serves as the operational geostationary weather satellite over the U.S. East coast. Later this year, GOES-17 will become operational as the GOES West satellite. Two additional satellites, GOES-T and GOES-U, are currently in development. The advanced instrument technology used on these satellites is contributing to more timely and accurate weather forecasts and warnings.

The GOES-R Series program is a collaborative effort between NOAA, NASA and industry partners. NOAA manages the GOES-R Series program through an integrated NOAA/NASA office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. NASA also oversees the acquisition of the spacecraft, instruments and launch vehicles. Mission operations are performed by NOAA at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Maryland.

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Last Updated: Oct. 2, 2018
Editor: Sean Potter

[Брабонт]

Осенняя движуха в группировке GOES'ов:

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NOAA Satellites‏Подлинная учетная запись @NOAASatellites 5:48 - 13 нояб. 2018 г.

Journey complete! Today #GOES17 finished drifting to its new orbital position at 137.2 degrees west longitude. In a few days we'll start seeing the first new images out of Alaska, Hawaii and the Pacific from the satellite's new home. Learn more: http://go.usa.gov/xPQPc 

( )

http://go.usa.gov/xPQPc  --> https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/content/get-ready-drift-goes-17-begins-move-its-new-operational-position

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https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/content/noaa-targets-january-2019-declare-goes-17-operational

NOAA Targets January 2019 to Declare GOES-17 Operational

Thursday, December 6, 2018


On Nov. 13, 2018, at 4 p.m. ET, GOES-17 captured this GeoColor view of the Earth from its new orbital position over the Pacific Ocean.
 
On November 20, 2018, technicians observed an error from NOAA's GOES-17 Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) – unrelated to the ongoing issues with the loop heat pipe – that resulted in degraded infrared imagery.

The technicians determined that a recent update to software that controls the ABI cryocooler system (which pumps heat away from the instrument's detectors to cool them to their required operating temperatures) caused a memory error. Automated safety checks onboard detected the error and initiated shutdown of the cryocooler, according to procedure.

The cryocooler operation is restored now, with no additional degraded imagery as a result of the error.

Engineers are testing a permanent software solution that should conclude in January 2019. Once the fix is confirmed, NOAA will declare GOES-17 the new GOES West satellite.

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https://spacenews.com/lockheed-martin-goes-t-u/

GOES-17 satellite launched in March 2018. During on-orbit checkout, NOAA discovered ABI's infrared channels were not working as designed because of cooling problems.
Specifically, the loop heat pipes, built by ATK, now part of Northrop Grumman, for Exelis, now part of Harris Corp., to transfer heat to the radiator, were unable to adequately cool the imager's infrared and near infrared channels for approximately 12 hours a day.
Many of those problems have been resolved. GOES-17's ABI is expected to deliver about 97 percent of the data it was built to collect, according to Harris and Lockheed Martin officials attending the American Meteorological Society conference here. NOAA planned to share details at the conference of work to optimize ABI performance, fill remaining data gaps with other satellites and evaluate the impact of the ABI anomaly on customers. That presentation was cancelled due to the government shutdown.