GOES-18

GOES-18
GOES-T in the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Florida in January 2022
Mission typeWeather and Meteorology
OperatorNOAA / NASA
COSPAR ID2022-021A[1]
SATCAT no.51850
Mission duration15 years (planned)
1 year, 10 months, 21 days (elapsed)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftGOES
Spacecraft typeGOES-R Series
BusLM-A2100A
ManufacturerLockheed Martin
Launch mass5,192 kg (11,446 lb)
Dry mass2,857 kg (6,299 lb)
Dimensions6.1 × 5.6 × 3.9 m (20 × 18 × 13 ft)
Power4 kW
Start of mission
Launch date1 March 2022, 21:38 UTC
RocketAtlas V 541
Launch siteCape Canaveral, SLC-41
ContractorUnited Launch Alliance
Entered service3 January 2023
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeGeostationary orbit
Longitude136.9° west
Semi-major axis42,164.0 km (26,199.5 mi)
Eccentricity0.0001730
Perigee altitude35,957 km (22,343 mi)
Apogee altitude35,972 km (22,352 mi)
Inclination0.0558°
Period24 hours
EpochJune 2, 2022[2][3]

GOES-T mission insignia
← GOES-17
GOES-U →

GOES-18 (designated pre-launch as GOES-T) is the third of the "GOES-R Series", the current generation of weather satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The current and next satellites of the Series (GOES-16, GOES-17, GOES-18, and GOES-19) will extend the availability of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) satellite system until 2037. The satellite is built by Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colorado. It is based on the A2100A satellite bus and will have an expected useful life of 15 years (10 operational after five years in orbit replacement).[4]

  1. ^ Goddard Space Flight Center. "GOES 18". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  2. ^ "GOES 18". heavens-above.com. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  3. ^ "GOES 18". orbitalfocus.uk. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Mission overview". NOAA. January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.