GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) weather satellites are an important component of weather forecasting in the United States. They are the backbone of short-term forecasting or nowcasting. The real-time weather data gathered by GOES satellites, combined with data from Doppler radars and automated surface observing systems, aids weather forecasters in providing warnings of thunderstorms, winter storms, flash floods, hurricanes, and other severe weather. These warnings help to save lives and preserve property. 

GOES satellites view the earth 100 percent of the time, taking continuous images and soundings. GOES satellites provide data for severe storm evaluation, information on cloud cover, winds, ocean currents, fog distribution, storm circulation and snow melt, using visual and infrared imagery. The satellites also receive transmissions from free-floating balloons, buoys and remote automatic data collection stations around the world.

NOAA uses two geostationary spacecraft, GOES East, located at 75°W, and GOES West, which is at 135°W, to monitor the weather of the western hemisphere. The combined footprint of the two spacecraft encompasses Earth’s full disk about the meridian approximately in the center of the continental United States. Observational coverage extends east/west between 20°W to 165°E and to about the 60° north/south latitudes. The GOES satellites provide real-time weather imagery which most people are familiar with as the images they see with their local TV weather forecasts or in their newspaper weather pages.

The current GOES-NEXT satellite series were preceded by ATS, SMS and GOES series satellites. The follow-on series is called GOES-NEXT' (prime).

U.S. weather satellites are operated by NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service based in Suitland, Maryland. 

NOAA assigns a letter to the satellite before it is launched, and a number once it has achieved orbit. For example, GOES-I, once in orbit, was designated GOES-8, GOES-G, which was lost at launch, was never assigned a number.