The Geosynchronous Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-U, launched at 5:26 PM EDT on 25 June 2024 from Launch Complex 39 A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy took the 6000-pound satellite to its geostationary orbit in the Western Hemisphere. After a commissioning process, GOES –U will be renamed GOES 19 and take over the GOES EAST duties, standing sentinel, watching for severe storms, hurricanes, and wildfires. A unique option on this spacecraft: it can keep an eye on Coronal Mass Ejections or CMEs from the Sun.

This episode is an all-you-can-eat GOES fest, complete with GOES-U Falcon Heavy launch audio at the beginning and a related special audio treat at the end of the episode.

Mark Ratterman was at the Kennedy Space Center press site representing Talking Space during launch activities and was able to talk to several key players of the GOES-U team. In this episode you'll hear from:

John Gagosian - Director, NASA Joint Agency Satellite Division

Krizia Negron - Language Program Lead, National Weather Service Office of Science and Technology Integration, NOAA

Chris Reith - Program Manager, Advanced Baseline Imager, L3-Harris Technologies Mr. Reith is also working on NOAA's follow-up to the GOES series: The GeoXO program

Ken Graham – Director, National Weather Service

If you wish to take a look at what the GOES satellites have seen and how their images have evolved over the years, NOAA has on their website a "Cool Image Retrospective" page, have a look here.

Please be sure to let us know your thoughts on the topics we discuss. You can always reach us at mailbag@TalkingSpaceOnline.com. You now also have a way to easily send us a voice recording that we may use on the show: just click on the blue microphone icon at the bottom right of any of our web pages at TalkingSpaceOnline.com.

Show recorded 07-03-2024.

Host: Larry Herrin

Segment Producer: Mark Ratterman

Panelists: Gene Mikulka, Heather D. Smith

Podcast Editor: Gene Mikulka

GOES-U Falcon Heavy – website photo credit: NASA