Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-U, all built by Lockheed Martin, has arrived at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, to begin preparing for its spring launch.
It is the final of four satellites in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) GOES-R weather satellite series.
According to the statement made by Lockheed Martin, GOES-U will enable the constellation to continue ‘saving lives’ and property by ensuring forecasters have access to ‘better-than-ever’ weather data for many years to come. The aim of these satellites provide meteorologists in the U.S. and western hemisphere with crystal-clear images of severe storms, hurricanes, wildfires and other weather hazards 'earlier than ever before'.
“As severe weather patterns increase with our changing climate, unparalleled data from these GOES-R satellites help people stay safe,” said Jagdeep Shergill, Geo Weather programs director, Lockheed Martin. “The GOES-R satellites Lockheed Martin has created have revolutionized weather forecasting, and we’re looking forward to seeing how we can continue to support this capability for future NOAA missions.”
GOES-U is baselined for launch starting in April 2024.
