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Information and History
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Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites
"The first GOES was launched on Oct. 16, 1975. The early GOES satellites were spin stabilized and viewed
the earth only about ten percent of the time. These satellites were in operation from 1975 until 1994.
From April 13, 1994, to the present, a the next generation of spacecraft, which are three-axis stabilized,
(GOES I-M) has been in operation. GOES-8 was the first three-axis stabilized spacecraft and was launched
April 13, 1994. The remaining spacecraft in this series, GOES 9 - 12, were successfully launched between
1994 and 2001. This generation of satellites view the earth 100 percent of the time, taking continuous
images and soundings. GOES satellites provide data for severe storm evaluation, information on cloud cover,
winds, ocean currents, fog distribution, storm circulation and snow melt, using visual and infrared imagery.
The satellites also receive transmissions from free-floating balloons, buoys and remote automatic data
collection stations around the world.
GOES-13, launched May 24, 2006, represents the first of the next generation of GOES satellites. The GOES N-P
spacecraft have an advanced attitude control system using star trackers, a spacecraft optical bench, and improved
Imager and Sounder mountings to provide enhanced instrument pointing performance for improved image navigation
and registration to better locate severe storms and other events important to the NOAA National Weather Service.
GOES satellites are a mainstay of weather forecasting in the United States. They are the backbone of short-term
forecasting or nowcasting. The real-time weather data gathered by GOES satellites, combined with data from Doppler
radars and automated surface observing systems, greatly aids weather forecasters in providing warnings of thunderstorms,
winter storms, flash floods, hurricanes, and other severe weather. These warnings help to save lives and preserve
property.
The United States operates two meteorological satellites in geostationary orbit, one over the East Coast and one over
the West Coast with overlapping coverage over the United States. The GOES satellites are a critical component of the
ongoing National Weather Service modernization program, aiding forecasters in providing more precise and timely forecasts.
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