GOES-16
Names
GOES-R (before 29 November 2016)
41866
Planned: 15 years
Elapsed: 7 years, 6 months, 30 days
5,192 kg (11,446 lb)
2,857 kg (6,299 lb)
6.1 × 5.6 × 3.9 m (20 × 18 × 13 ft)
4 kW
19 November 2016, 23:42 UTC
Atlas V 541 (AV-069)
18 December 2017
75.2° West
GOES East (after 18 December 2017)
42,164.8 km (26,200.0 mi)
0.0001538
35,780.2 km (22,232.8 mi)
35,793.1 km (22,240.8 mi)
0.0363°
1,436.1 minutes
1 March 2018, 18:22:45[1]
Advanced Baseline Imager
Advanced Baseline Imager
Geostationary Lightning Mapper
Extreme Ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensors
Solar Ultraviolet Imager
Magnetometer
Space Environment In-Situ Suite
GOES-16, formerly known as GOES-R before reaching geostationary orbit, is the first of the GOES-R series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) operated by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). GOES-16 serves as the operational geostationary weather satellite in the GOES East position at 75.2°W, providing a view centered on the Americas. GOES-16 provides high spatial and temporal resolution imagery of the Earth through 16 spectral bands at visible and infrared wavelengths using its Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI). GOES-16's Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) is the first operational lightning mapper flown in geostationary orbit. The spacecraft also includes four other scientific instruments for monitoring space weather and the Sun.
GOES-16's design and instrumentation began in 1999 and was intended to fill key NOAA satellite requirements published that year. Following nearly a decade of instrument planning, spacecraft fabrication was contracted to Lockheed Martin Space Systems in 2008; construction of GOES-16 began in 2012 and lasted until 2014 when the satellite entered the testing phase. After several launch delays, GOES-16 launched from Cape Canaveral on 19 November 2016 aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V. The spacecraft reached an initial geostationary orbit several days later, beginning a yearlong non-operational checkout and validation phase. In November 2017, GOES-16 began a drift to its operational GOES East position, and was declared as fully operational on 18 December 2017. The satellite is expected to have an operational lifespan of ten years, with five additional years as a backup for successive GOES spacecraft.
Background[edit]
Instrument conceptualization[edit]
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) program began as a joint effort between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1975 to develop geostationary weather satellites following the success of the Applications Technology Satellite (ATS) and Synchronous Meteorological Satellite programs beginning in 1966.[2] In the 1999 Operational Requirements Document (ORD) for the Evolution of Future NOAA Operational Geostationary Satellites, NOAA listed instrument requirements for the next generation of GOES imager and sounder. Top priorities included continuous observation capabilities, the ability to observe weather phenomena at all spatial scales, and improved spatial and temporal resolution for both the imager and sounder. These specifications laid the conceptual foundations for the instruments that would eventually be included with GOES-16.[3]
More concrete development of GOES-16 began with the initial designs of an Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI), which started in June 1999 under the direction of Tim Schmitt of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS).[4][5] At its inception, ten spectral bands were considered for inclusion in the new ABI, derived from six instruments on other satellites. In September 1999, the NOAA Research and Development Council endorsed the continued development of the instrument with the suggested bandwidths and frequencies.[6] As the instrument became further realized, the number of potential spectral bands increased from the initial ten, to twelve by October 1999.[4] Alongside the ABI, development also began on the Advanced Baseline Sounder (ABS), which would form a part of a Hyperspectral Environmental Suite (HES) of instruments on the next generation GOES satellites.[3] Like the ABI, the HES also marked significant improvements in resolution and spatial coverage.[7] Initial forecasts were for the ABI to be included as part of GOES beginning with the projected launch of GOES-Q in 2008.[8]
In 2001, NOAA planned for the GOES-R generation of GOES satellites to commence with the expected launch of GOES-R in 2012, with the ABI and ABS as expected instrumentation. GOES-R and its sister satellites were to lead to substantial improvements in forecast accuracy and detail by providing new operational products for users.[9] Four years later, the number of proposed spectral bands on the ABI instrument increased to 16, covering a swath of visible and infrared wavelengths.[10] In September 2006, NOAA dropped plans to include the HES aboard GOES-R, citing a lack of sufficient testing and major cost overruns in the development of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS).[11] Although the GOES-R series was expected to cost US$6.2 billion in total, increased instrument complexity, revised inflation assumptions, and program reserves led to the Government Accountability Office estimating a much higher US$11.4 billion cost for the program in 2006.[12]
Construction[edit]
In December 2008, NASA and NOAA selected Lockheed Martin Space Systems as the contractor for the fabrication of the first two satellites of the GOES-R generation, including GOES-R, for an estimated value of contract at US$1.09 billion.[13] Preliminary design review was completed just over two years later,[14] with critical design review being completed in May 2012.[15] Construction of the satellite bus was contracted out to Alliant Techsystems (ATK) and work began shortly thereafter, with the core structure becoming test-ready in January 2013.[16] The Extreme Ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensors (EXIS) became the first installation-ready instruments for GOES-R in May 2013,[17] while the ABI became integration-ready in February 2014;[18] spacecraft propulsion and system modules were delivered three months later, finalizing the initial construction phase and allowing for complete spacecraft integration and testing at Lockheed Martin's facilities in Colorado.[19] The satellite was then transferred to Kennedy Space Center on 22 August 2016 to undergo additional tests and ready the spacecraft for launch.[20]
Spacecraft design[edit]
GOES-16 and other satellites of the GOES-R generation are based around a derivative of Lockheed Martin's A2100 spacecraft bus capable of supporting up to 2,800 kg (6,200 lb) dry mass with power capabilities exceeding 4 kW until the spacecraft's end-of-life.[21] With propellant, GOES-16 had a total mass of 5,192 kg (11,446 lb), with a dry mass of 2,857 kg (6,299 lb). The spacecraft has dimensions of 6.1 m × 5.6 m × 3.9 m (20 ft × 18 ft × 13 ft).[22] GOES-16 is powered by a solar array containing five solar panels that were folded at launch and unfurled after deployment.[23] GOES-16 was designed to have a service lifetime of 15 years, including 10 years as an operational satellite and 5 additional years as a backup for successive GOES satellites. GOES-16's command and data handling subsystem is based around the SpaceWire bus; a modified version of the SpaceWire protocol was developed specifically for GOES-16 as a cost and risk reduction measure, with the associated application-specific integrated circuit being developed by British Aerospace. The GOES Reliable Data Delivery Protocol (GRDDP) complements preexisting SpaceWire capabilities and includes packet loss detection and recovery.[21] The satellite's instruments collect and transfer payload data to the spacecraft at 10–100 Mbit/s. Spacecraft stability and accuracy is maintained by several reaction wheels, gyrometers, and a star tracker. GOES-16 is also the first geostationary civilian spacecraft to use GPS to assess its orbit. Such calibration equipment is intended to establish the satellite's position within a 100 m (330 ft) radius with a confidence of 3σ.[24]
This article incorporates from Data Processing Levels. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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