Atlas Launches U.S. Weather Satellite

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Atlas Launches U.S. Weather Satellite

More Information:

An Atlas IIA successfully launched GOES-M from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, pad 36A at 0723 UTC (12:23 a.m. PDT) on July 23. GOES-M (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) will be placed in an on-orbit storage location where it will be available as an on-orbit spare to monitor hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, flash floods and other severe weather. GOES-M was renamed GOES-12 upon achieving orbit. GOES-9 and GOES-11 are in storage orbits near 105 degrees West longitude. GOES-M will be positioned in the same general area.

The 2279 kg (5023 lbm) GOES-M is a Loral-built 1300-series satellite with a single solar array and a solar attitude control sail. GOES-M is the first GOES spacecraft equipped with an advanced Solar X-Ray Imager, which was provided by NASA. This instrument will capture full-disk X-Ray images of the Sun that will provide advanced warning for geomagnetic storms that can negatively affect communications and electric power grids and may cause high-energy radiation that can endanger spacecraft and astronauts. The satellite was built for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The launch was conducted by International Launch Services (ILS). The vehicle for this launch was designated AC-142. The Atlas rocket and its Centaur upper stage was built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.

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July 23, 2001