Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




WEATHER REPORT
NOAA's GOES-R satellite begins environmental testing
by Staff Writers
Greenbelt MD (SPX) May 31, 2015


This is the assembled and integrated GOES-R satellite in the clean room at Lockheed Martin. Image courtesy Lockheed Martin.

The GOES-R satellite, slated to launch in 2016, is ready for environmental testing. Environmental testing simulates the harsh conditions of launch and the space environment once the satellite is in orbit. The GOES-R satellite and its instruments will undergo a variety of rigorous tests which includes subjecting the satellite to vibration, acoustics and temperature testing as part of this process.

The environmental testing will take place at Lockheed Martin Corporation's Littleton, Colorado, facility where the spacecraft is being built. The satellite will be placed inside a large (29-foot-by-65-foot) vacuum chamber, where it will remain through late summer.

During the thermal vacuum test, the satellite is exposed to the extreme hot and cold temperatures it will experience in space as it orbits the Earth with temperatures ranging from minus 15 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees Celsius. The satellite will also undergo vibration testing to simulate the experience of launching into space aboard a rocket, and electromagnetic testing to ensure it is properly protected from electromagnetic phenomena in space, like solar flares.

"The start of the environmental testing period is a critically important time for the spacecraft," said GOES-R Series Program Director Greg Mandt. "This milestone marks the shift from the development and integration of the satellite to the final testing phases that will prepare the satellite for the rigors of space before its delivery to the launch location later this year."

The GOES-R satellite is scheduled to be launched in March 2016 aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Once launched, the satellite will be known as GOES-16 and will immediately be placed in a test location at 89.5 degrees West longitude for an extended checkout period.

During post-launch testing and extended validation, the GOES-R satellite will be operational, providing observations during the 2016 hurricane season. At the conclusion of the checkout, the satellite will be placed into either the East or West location depending on the health and performance of the other GOES satellites in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's constellation.

GOES-R represents a significant improvement over current GOES satellite observations and will provide higher-resolution images of weather patterns and severe storms five times faster than today, which will contribute to more accurate and reliable weather forecasts and severe weather outlooks. GOES-R's environmental data products will support short-term weather forecasts and severe storm watches and warnings, maritime forecasts, seasonal predictions, drought outlooks and space weather predictions.

GOES-R products will improve hurricane tracking and intensity forecasts, increase thunderstorm and tornado warning lead time, improve aviation flight route planning, provide data for long-term climate variability studies, improve solar flare warnings for communications and navigation disruptions, and enhance space weather monitoring.

The program is a collaborative effort between the NOAA and NASA to develop, deploy and operate the satellites. The GOES-R series satellites will provide continuous imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth's Western Hemisphere and space weather monitoring to provide critical atmospheric, hydrologic, oceanic, climatic, solar and space data.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
GOES-R at NOAA
Weather News at TerraDaily.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








WEATHER REPORT
Study highlights ways to boost weather and climate predictions
Exeter, UK (SPX) May 21, 2015
Long range weather forecasts and climate change projections could be significantly boosted by advances in our understanding of the relationship between layers of the Earth's atmosphere - the stratosphere and troposphere. A team of UK scientists have studied how a circulation changes in the stratosphere (above 10 km) can influence both weather and climate conditions on the surface of the Earth. ... read more


WEATHER REPORT
Google Lunar X-Prize meets Yoda

China, Russia plan joint landing on the Moon

NASA's LRO Moves Closer to the Lunar Surface

European Space Agency Director Wants to Set Up a Moon Base

WEATHER REPORT
NASA Begins Testing Next Mars Lander Insight

The Supreme Council of Parachute Experts

Science Drives NASA's Journey to Mars

The Moon or Mars: Flawed Debate, False Choice - Part One

WEATHER REPORT
New wave of smart tech on show at Taiwan's Computex

New urban landscape at Taiwan's Computex

Boeing Awarded First Commercial Human Spaceflight Mission

Like Sleeping Beauty, some research lies dormant for decades

WEATHER REPORT
China Plans First Ever Landing On The Lunar Far Side

China ranked 4th among world space powers

3D printer making Chinese space suit parts

Xinhua Insight: How China joins space club?

WEATHER REPORT
NASA Begins Major Reconfiguration of International Space Station

Roundworms have the Right Stuff

ISS module relocation makes way for Commercial Crew spacecraft

ISS Partners Adjust Spacecraft Schedule

WEATHER REPORT
Air Force Certifies SpaceX for National Security Space Missions

SpaceX cleared for US military launches

Ariane 5's second launch of 2015

SpaceX cleared for US military launches

WEATHER REPORT
Weather forecasts for planets beyond our solar system

Astrophysicists offer proof that famous image shows forming planets

Astronomers detect drastic atmospheric change in super Earth

New exoplanet too big for its star

WEATHER REPORT
3D printers get Ugandan amputees back on their feet

Saving money and the environment with 3-D printing

Thin coating on condensers could make power plants more efficient

New computational technique advances color 3D printing process




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.