NASA has planned to launch the third version of the GOES-T rocket. The launch for the same will be conducted at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The launch will take place on March 1 and in a release posted by the space agency, it informed the same while inviting the media to witness the launch, which would increase NASA’s understanding of the Western Hemisphere and also the Pacific.
In an effort to take large-scale weather monitoring to a whole new level, NASA will perform this launch. This will help NASA study the planet five times faster with four times the resolution and three times the number of channels than the previous version of the GOES. The satellite will also include a Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), the first instrument of its kind to be flown into geostationary orbit. This tool will allow forecasters to focus on the initial development of thunderstorms and the intensification of severe storms, which will further help prevent catastrophes.
More about the third satellite of the GOES
GOES-T is the third satellite in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) – R series. NOAA handles GOES-R through an integrated NOAA-NASA office. It manages its ground system contract, operates the satellites and distributes data to researchers.
GOES-T will be renamed GOES-18 once it has reached geostationary orbit. After a successful orbital check of its instruments and systems, GOES-18 will enter operational service as GOES West. In this position, the satellite will provide critical data for the US West Coast, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Central America and the Pacific. The launch is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy.
Credit source: NASA