NASA Announcer: Three...Two...One...
Narrator: NOAA is about to launch a new satellite into orbit above the Earth.
This satellite will be the third in a fleet of NOAA's latest generation
of geostationary operational environment satellites, called GOES,
the most advanced weather-observing and environmental monitoring system
in the Western Hemisphere.
GOES satellites orbit 22,236 miles above Earth's equator,
at speeds equal to Earth's rotation.
This allows for continuous coverage of weather systems as they move throughout the atmosphere.
The GOES satellite system keeps 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.
Each satellite in the series provides high-resolution imagery in near real-time
to provide critical information for weather forecasts,
sever weather prediction,
lightning detection, and solar activity.
The latest satellite is GOES-T, which will be renamed GOES-18 when it reaches orbit.
GOES-T will be the third satellite in the series
and is expected to replace the current GOES-17 satellite
in the GOES West orbit.
In this position, the satellite will continue GOES West's legacy
of keeping watch over the Pacific Ocean, the western U.S. and the U.S. territories.
It will provide complete satellite coverage for the weather systems that impact Hawaii and Alaska.
It will provide critical data over the northeastern Pacific,
where many of the weather systems affecting the continental U.S. originate.
It will monitor and track tropical storms and hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean.
It will help identify and track wildfires across the western U.S.
It will assist in search and rescue efforts around the U.S.
and its surrounding waters as part of NOAA's SARSAT system.
And help monitor and track weather phenomena that impact the western U.S.,
like dust storms,
monsoons,
marine fog,
atmopsheric rivers and more.
The GOES Series of satellites supports NOAA's mission
to provide secure and timely access to global environmental data
and information from satellites and other sources to promote and protect
the Nation's security, environment, economy and quality of life.
Logo: NOAA Satellite and Information Service
www.nesdis.noaa.gov
NASA Meatball
GOES-T Logo