NASA Sets GOES-R/Atlas V Launch Events Coverage

The first spacecraft in a new series of NASA advanced geostationary weather satellites for NOAA has been retargeted for a launch on Saturday, Nov. 19, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The one-hour launch window opens at 5:42 p.m. EST. Liftoff will occur from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

News briefings, live launch commentary, photo opportunities and other media events will be held at nearby NASA Kennedy Space Center, and carried live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Once in geostationary orbit, GOES-R will be known as GOES-16 and will provide images of weather patterns and severe storms as regularly as every five minutes or as frequently as every 30 seconds. These images can be used to aid in weather forecasts, severe weather outlooks, watches and warnings, lightning conditions, maritime forecasts and aviation forecasts. It also will assist in longer term forecasting, such as in seasonal predictions and drought outlooks. In addition, space weather conditions will be monitored constantly, including the effects of solar flares to provide advance notice of potential communication and navigation disruptions. It also will assist researchers in understanding the interactions between land, oceans, the atmosphere and climate. The GOES-R weather satellite was built by Lockheed Martin.