NASA set to launch advanced weather satellite into orbit for NOAA from Florida’s Space Coast

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA is preparing to launch an advanced weather satellite into orbit for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U, or GOES-U, mission aims to enhance the nation’s ability to monitor and forecast weather, ocean, and environmental events in real-time.

As the fourth and final satellite in the GOES series, GOES-U will carry seven instruments that will provide advanced imagery and atmosphere measurements of Earth’s Western Hemisphere, real-time mapping of lightning activity, and advanced monitoring of solar activity and space weather.

READ: Geomagnetic storm: NOAA warns of ‘severe solar storm’

The instruments also include a new compact coronagraph, used to capture images of the outer layer of the sun’s atmosphere to detect and characterize coronal mass ejections.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting a two-hour launch window that opens at 5:16 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25.

READ: It’s not a matter of if a hurricane will hit Florida, but when, forecasters say

The mission will launch on board a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA”s Kennedy Space Center.

Following a successful launch and on-orbit checkout, NOAA will redesignate GOES-U as GOES-19. It will then work in tandem with GOES-18 to continually observe Earth from the west coast of Africa to New Zealand, providing data for weather forecasting, severe storm tracking, and environmental monitoring.

READ: Artemis II: NASA report expresses concerns for mission safety

The GOES-R series of satellites was designed, built, and tested by Lockheed Martin.

For more information about the GOES-U mission, click here.

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