NOAA’s GOES-U completes thermal vacuum testing

NOAA’s GOES-U, the ultimate satellite within the GOES-R Sequence of superior geostationary environmental satellites, lately accomplished thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing as a part of a rigorous evaluation program to make sure the satellite can face up to the tough circumstances of launch and orbiting 22,236 miles above Earth’s equator. The testing is going down at Lockheed Martin Area’s Littleton, Colorado, facility, the place GOES-U was constructed.

The GOES-R program is a collaborative effort between NOAA and NASA. NASA builds and launches the satellites for NOAA, which operates them and distributes their knowledge to customers worldwide. The satellites present vital knowledge for weather forecasts and warnings, detecting and monitoring environmental hazards like fireplace, smoke, fog, volcanic ash, and dust, and monitoring solar activity and space climate.

Throughout TVAC testing, GOES-U was positioned in a big 29 ft by 65 ft chamber and subjected to an unlimited vary of temperatures, hovering as excessive as 188 levels Fahrenheit and dropping as little as minus 67 levels Fahrenheit, to simulate the intense temperatures of launch and the space surroundings. The absolutely built-in GOES-U satellite went by way of 4 cycles of TVAC, completely testing the spacecraft bus and all seven devices.

Subsequent, GOES-U will endure vibration testing, which mimics the stresses it is going to expertise throughout launch, to make sure the satellite’s construction has been designed and constructed to efficiently ship the devices to orbit. GOES-U may even endure extraordinarily excessive sound strain of 138.4 decibels from high-intensity horns throughout acoustic testing, which can simulate the noises GOES-U will expertise throughout launch. Shock testing will make sure the satellite can face up to the shocks encountered throughout separation from the launch car and deployment of its solar panels. Lastly, electromagnetic interference/compatibility testing will guarantee electromagnetic radiation in space won’t harm the satellite.

At particular factors in the course of the environmental testing, the Mission Operations Assist Group conducts end-to-end checks that command the satellite from the bottom system. These end-to-end (ETE) checks validate the compatibility of flight and floor {hardware}, software program, and communications interfaces in a mission operations context. Two GOES-U ETE checks are full, and the staff will conduct three further ETE checks in 2023 and 2024.

GOES-U will proceed the superior imaging, lightning mapping, and space climate monitoring its sister satellites within the GOES-R Sequence present and also will carry a brand new space climate monitoring instrument.

The Compact Coronagraph (CCOR) will picture the solar corona (the outer layer of the sun’s environment) to assist detect and characterize coronal mass ejections (CMEs). CMEs are massive expulsions of plasma from the corona and are the first reason behind geomagnetic storms, which may trigger widespread harm to energy grids, satellites, and communication and navigation programs on Earth.

GOES-U, the ultimate satellite within the GOES-R Sequence, is scheduled to launch in April 2024 from Cape Canaveral Area Drive Station in Florida. The satellite might be renamed GOES-19 as soon as it reaches geostationary orbit, roughly two weeks after launch.

The GOES-R Program is a four-satellite mission that features GOES-R (GOES-16, launched in 2016), GOES-S (GOES-17, launched in 2018), GOES-T (GOES-18, launched in 2022), and GOES-U.

The GOES-R Sequence satellites are deliberate for operation into the 2030s. NOAA and NASA have begun work on the next-generation geostationary mission referred to as Geostationary Prolonged Observations (GeoXO). GeoXO will proceed observations supplied by GOES-R and produce new capabilities to handle our altering planet and the evolving wants of NOAA’s knowledge customers.