GOES-T satellite launches March 1: What instruments are aboard?

GOES-T will be the third of 4 of this series of this kind of satellites, part of the GOES constellation. Once in orbit and after calibrations and a trial period, it will replace the Pacific facing GOES -17, which will become a backup, and officially be named GOES-18.

GOES-T set to launch March 1: A new weather eye to help us stay safe

The satellite arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral Florida in November 2021 and since then, the satellite was getting all the last assembling touches. It will be launched aboard an Atlas V rocket on March 1. Originally the launch was set to February 16, but shifts in launch dates for missions scheduled ahead of GOES-T prompted NASA, NOAA, and United Launch Alliance (ULA) to coordinate the new date.

There are a total of 10 instruments that will be placed aboard GOES-T. These are the same 10 instruments that have been placed in the other two GOES predecessors, but some instruments will be updated and improved.

The Advanced Baseliner Imager (ABI), provides 16 channels of images, capturing visible and infrared imagery and wind derivation. It scans the full region (full disk) every 15 minutes, so images are not only crisper in detail but also more frequent capturing creates more detailed changes.

The Extreme Ultraviolet Sensor/X-Ray Sensor Irradiance Sensors (EXIS) monitors the Sun, specifically EUV and X-Rays from the solar disk. This is a tool that scientists use to evaluate space weather conditions that, when active, can affect GPS and radio communications on Earth.

SEM/Magnetometer, (SEM/MAG), is an instrument that observes the geomagnetic field in the magnetosphere. The magnets in this instrument measure the magnetic field near the satellite.

Geostationary Search and Rescue, GEOS-R, is an instrument that is used to relay distress signals from users in remote areas that are difficult to search. Users of this technology are countries, states, and organizations part of the international COSPAS/SARSAT Search and Rescue system.

Geostationary Lightning Mapper, GLM, is a tool that became really popular among meteorologists when the first satellite of this series became operational. It shows lightning wherever storms are. Previous to this, lightning was only seen from radars, this meant that lightning can only be observed within the reach of the satellite beam. There was no visibility of lightning over the ocean. This improvement has become particularly important in researching tropical cyclones that are far from land, as now we can interpret taller storms by the lightning it is producing.

Solar Ultraviolet Imager, SUVI, is another monitor to evaluate the Sun and its activity. It will provide 6 channels of imagery and fluxmetry with high spatial resolution.

Data collection and Interrogation Service, DCIS, is the instrument that collects all the data.

The last three instruments, Magnetospheric Particle Sensor (SEISS/MPS), Energy Heavy Ion Sensor (SEISS/EHIS), and the Solar and Galactic Proton Sensor (SEISS/SGPS) are part of the Space Environment n-Sit Suite (SEISS) package that monitors proton, electrons and protons which can put the satellite at risk, alpha particle and heavy ion fluxes at platforms level, high-energy protons.

NOAA’s GOES-T is set for liftoff on a United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The two-hour launch window will open at 4:38 p.m. EST.