A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather satellite on Monday reached geostationary orbit and is set to carry out the second deployment phase for solar array components Tuesday.The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S officially adopted the name GOES-17 following its arrival at the geostationary orbit and is scheduled to enter the post-launch calibration and testing phase on March 26, NOAA said Monday.
GOES-17 took off on March 1 aboard a United Launch Alliance-built Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
NOAA said it expects the Lockheed Martin-built satellite to undergo on-orbit checkout phase for its instruments for a period of six months and deliver its first imagery in mid-May to help monitor storm systems, wildfires, lightning and other environmental and weather hazards across the Western Hemisphere.
The launch of GOES-17 came nearly two years after GOES-16 lifted off aboard the Lockheed-Boeing joint venture’s rocket as the first of NOAA’s four GOES-R Series satellites.
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