Final preparations are underway as the next advanced weather satellite is ready to launch into orbit.
The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) 11,500 lb GOES-T weather satellite is set to launch atop of an Atlas V rocket from the Space Coast on Tuesday. This advanced satellite will be the third in the GOES series and is expected to replace GOES-17 . GOES stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. Once GOES-T is in space it will be known as GOES-18.
The purpose of this mission is to improve weather forecasting. “The GOES satellite network helps meteorologists observe and predict local weather events, including thunderstorms, tornadoes, fog, hurricanes, flash floods, and other severe weather. In addition, GOES observations have proven helpful in monitoring dust storms, volcanic eruptions, and forest fires.” – NASA
NOAA’s GOES-T satellite is scheduled to launch at 4:38 pm. There will be a two hour launch window.