![]() GOES-T in the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Florida in January 2022 | |||||||||||||||
Mission type | Weather and Meteorology | ||||||||||||||
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Operator | NOAA / NASA | ||||||||||||||
COSPAR ID | 2022-021A[1] | ||||||||||||||
SATCAT no. | 51850 | ||||||||||||||
Mission duration | 15 years (planned) 1 year, 7 months, 15 days (elapsed) | ||||||||||||||
Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||||||
Spacecraft | GOES | ||||||||||||||
Spacecraft type | GOES-R Series | ||||||||||||||
Bus | LM-A2100A | ||||||||||||||
Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin | ||||||||||||||
Launch mass | 5,192 kg (11,446 lb) | ||||||||||||||
Dry mass | 2,857 kg (6,299 lb) | ||||||||||||||
Dimensions | 6.1 × 5.6 × 3.9 m (20 × 18 × 13 ft) | ||||||||||||||
Power | 4 kW | ||||||||||||||
Start of mission | |||||||||||||||
Launch date | 1 March 2022, 21:38 UTC | ||||||||||||||
Rocket | Atlas V 541 | ||||||||||||||
Launch site | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | ||||||||||||||
Contractor | United Launch Alliance | ||||||||||||||
Entered service | 3 January 2023 | ||||||||||||||
Orbital parameters | |||||||||||||||
Reference system | Geocentric orbit | ||||||||||||||
Regime | Geostationary orbit | ||||||||||||||
Longitude | 136.9° west | ||||||||||||||
Semi-major axis | 42,164.0 km (26,199.5 mi) | ||||||||||||||
Eccentricity | 0.0001730 | ||||||||||||||
Perigee altitude | 35,957 km (22,343 mi) | ||||||||||||||
Apogee altitude | 35,972 km (22,352 mi) | ||||||||||||||
Inclination | 0.0558° | ||||||||||||||
Period | 24 hours | ||||||||||||||
Epoch | June 2, 2022[2][3] | ||||||||||||||
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![]() GOES-T mission insignia |
GOES-18 (designated pre-launch as GOES-T) is the third of the "GOES-R Series", the current generation of weather satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The current and next satellites of the Series (GOES-16, GOES-17, GOES-18, and GOES-19) will extend the availability of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) satellite system until 2037. The satellite is built by Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colorado. It is based on the A2100A satellite bus and will have an expected useful life of 15 years (10 operational after five years in orbit replacement).[4]