 Artist's impression of an SMS-series GOES satellite in orbit | |
| Mission type | Weather satellite |
|---|---|
| Operator | NOAA |
| COSPAR ID | 1978-062A |
| SATCAT no. | 10953 |
| Mission duration | 38 years (achieved) 46 years, 4 months and 26 days (in orbit) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | SMS |
| Manufacturer | Ford Aerospace |
| Launch mass | 627 kilograms (1,382 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 16 June 1978, 10:49 UTC |
| Rocket | Delta 2914 |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-17B |
| Contractor | McDonnell Douglas |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Decommissioned |
| Deactivated | 29 June 2016 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 135° West (1978-1981) 90° West (1982-1984) 185° West (1985-1987) 129° West (1987-1990) 175° West (1990-1995) 102-110° West (1996—)[1][2] |
| Slot | GOES-WEST (1978-1981) |
| Eccentricity | 0.01425[3] |
| Perigee altitude | 35,469.10[4] kilometers (22,039.48 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 36,679.20[4] kilometers (22,791.40 mi) |
| Inclination | 7.100[3] degrees |
| Period | 24 hours |
GOES-3, known as GOES-C before becoming operational, was an American geostationary weather and communications satellite. It was originally built for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as part of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system,[5] and was launched in June 1978.[6] It was positioned in geostationary orbit, from where it was initially used for weather forecasting in the United States. After ceasing to function as a weather satellite in 1989, it was used as a communications satellite, and spent over thirty-eight years in operation. GOES-3 was decommissioned 29 June 2016 at the Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing facility in Miami, Florida.[7]
GOES-3 was built by Ford Aerospace, and was based on the satellite bus developed for the SMS programme.[8] At launch it had a mass of 627 kilograms (1,382 lb).[2]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
GSOHistwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
EAwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b NASA.gov
- ^ a b "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Telemetry Details".
- ^ "GOES-3". The GOES Program - ESE 40th Anniversary. NASA. Archived from the original on October 4, 2006. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
JSR-LLwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Goes-3 Satellite Decommissioned After Linking Antarctica To The World For More Than 20 Years". University of Miami. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "SMS 1, 2 / GOES-1, 2, 3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved August 13, 2009.