GOES 9
Encyclopedia
GOES 9, known as GOES-J before becoming operational, was an American
weather satellite
, which formed part of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite
system. It was launched in 1995, and operated until 2007 when it was retired and boosted to a graveyard orbit
. At launch, the satellite had a mass of 2105 kilograms (4,640.7 lb), and an expected operational lifespan of three years. It was built by Space Systems/Loral
, based on the LS-1300 satellite bus, and was the second of five GOES-I series satellites to be launched.
Atlas I
rocket, flying from Launch Complex 36B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
. The launch occurred at 05:52:02 GMT on 23 May. Following launch, it was positioned in geostationary orbit
at a longitude
of 90° West for on-orbit testing. Once this was complete, it was moved to 135° West, where it assumed GOES-WEST operations.
satellite, however it was corrected before GOES 10
was launched.
In June 1998 GOES 9 developed a problem with one of its two reaction wheels, which were used to control its orientation. It was drawing more power than expected, and generating noise
, visible in some of the images it returned. After the other wheel started developing the same problem in July, a decision was made to replace GOES 9 with the backup satellite, GOES 10. GOES 10 took over imagery at the end of July, and reached 135° West in August. Following replacement, GOES 9 was moved back to 105° West, and placed into storage as a backup. It was reactivated in December 2001 for evaluation of its imager and reaction wheels, after which it was placed back into storage.
as a replacement for the GMS-5
satellite at 155° East, after its intended replacement, MTSAT-1, failed to reach orbit. It remained in this position until MTSAT-1R became operational in November 2005, at which time GOES 9 was again deactivated and placed into storage. It was permanently retired from service and raised to a graveyard orbit on 14 June 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
weather satellite
Weather satellite
The weather satellite is a type of satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth. Satellites can be either polar orbiting, seeing the same swath of the Earth every 12 hours, or geostationary, hovering over the same spot on Earth by orbiting over the equator while...
, which formed part of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite
The Geostationary Satellite system, operated by the United States National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service , supports weather forecasting, severe storm tracking, and meteorology research. Spacecraft and ground-based elements of the system work together to provide a continuous...
system. It was launched in 1995, and operated until 2007 when it was retired and boosted to a graveyard orbit
Graveyard orbit
A graveyard orbit, also called a supersynchronous orbit, junk orbit or disposal orbit, is an orbit significantly above synchronous orbit, where spacecraft are intentionally placed at the end of their operational life...
. At launch, the satellite had a mass of 2105 kilograms (4,640.7 lb), and an expected operational lifespan of three years. It was built by Space Systems/Loral
Space Systems/Loral
Space Systems/Loral , of Palo Alto, California, is the wholly owned manufacturing subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications. It was acquired in 1990 for $715 million by Loral Corp. from Ford Motor Company as the Space Systems Division of Ford Aerospace...
, based on the LS-1300 satellite bus, and was the second of five GOES-I series satellites to be launched.
Launch
GOES-J was launched aboard an International Launch ServicesInternational Launch Services
International Launch Services is a U.S.-Russian joint venture with exclusive rights to the worldwide sale of commercial Proton rocket launch services from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.- Ownership :...
Atlas I
Atlas I
The Atlas I was an American expendable launch system, used in the 1990s to launch a variety of different satellites. The "I" in "Atlas I" can cause confusion, as all previous Atlas rockets were designated using letters, ending with the Atlas H, however subsequent rockets were designated using roman...
rocket, flying from Launch Complex 36B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
. The launch occurred at 05:52:02 GMT on 23 May. Following launch, it was positioned in geostationary orbit
Geostationary orbit
A geostationary orbit is a geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earth's equator , with a period equal to the Earth's rotational period and an orbital eccentricity of approximately zero. An object in a geostationary orbit appears motionless, at a fixed position in the sky, to ground observers...
at a longitude
Longitude
Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....
of 90° West for on-orbit testing. Once this was complete, it was moved to 135° West, where it assumed GOES-WEST operations.
Operations
GOES 9 suffered from a design fault with the motor windings in its imager and sounder, with one of two sets failing in 1997. If the other set had failed, it would have made the system inoperable. This fault also occurred on the GOES 8GOES 8
GOES 8, known as GOES-I before becoming operational, was an American weather satellite, which formed part of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system. It was launched in 1994, and operated until 2004 when it was retired and...
satellite, however it was corrected before GOES 10
GOES 10
GOES 10, known as GOES-K before becoming operational, was an American weather satellite, which formed part of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system...
was launched.
In June 1998 GOES 9 developed a problem with one of its two reaction wheels, which were used to control its orientation. It was drawing more power than expected, and generating noise
Noise
In common use, the word noise means any unwanted sound. In both analog and digital electronics, noise is random unwanted perturbation to a wanted signal; it is called noise as a generalisation of the acoustic noise heard when listening to a weak radio transmission with significant electrical noise...
, visible in some of the images it returned. After the other wheel started developing the same problem in July, a decision was made to replace GOES 9 with the backup satellite, GOES 10. GOES 10 took over imagery at the end of July, and reached 135° West in August. Following replacement, GOES 9 was moved back to 105° West, and placed into storage as a backup. It was reactivated in December 2001 for evaluation of its imager and reaction wheels, after which it was placed back into storage.
Replacement of GMS-5
In 2003, GOES 9 was reactivated again, and leased to the Japan Meteorological AgencyJapan Meteorological Agency
The or JMA, is the Japanese government's weather service. Charged with gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in Japan, it is a semi-autonomous part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport...
as a replacement for the GMS-5
Geostationary meteorological satellite
Himawari orGeostationary Meteorological Satellite , was a series of Japanese weather satellites operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency. The first GMS satellite was launched 14 July 1977 from Cape Canaveral. The fifth and final satellite was launched 18 March 1995 from Tanegashima...
satellite at 155° East, after its intended replacement, MTSAT-1, failed to reach orbit. It remained in this position until MTSAT-1R became operational in November 2005, at which time GOES 9 was again deactivated and placed into storage. It was permanently retired from service and raised to a graveyard orbit on 14 June 2007.