GOES-18 (Formerly GOES-T): NOAA’s Next-Generation Weather Satellite Enhancing Forecast Accuracy

Overview

GOES-18, initially designated GOES-T, is the third satellite in NOAA’s GOES-R Series, the current generation of advanced Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). Built by Lockheed Martin on the A2100A satellite bus in Littleton, Colorado, GOES-18 supports improved environmental monitoring, severe weather forecasting, and disaster response for the United States and the Western Hemisphere.

GOES-18 was launched on March 1, 2022, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), Florida, aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket, and became operational as GOES-West on January 4, 2023. It is expected to remain in service until at least 2037, extending NOAA’s geostationary satellite capabilities well into the future.

Key Capabilities and Benefits
GOES-18 significantly enhances environmental and meteorological observations with the following applications:

• Improved detection of heavy rainfall and flash flood threats

• Enhanced wildfire detection and intensity estimation

• Advanced smoke and dust monitoring

• Early warning for lightning ground strikes

• Better air quality alerts

• Improved fog and low cloud detection

• Safer aviation route planning and transportation forecasting

• Accurate hurricane track and intensity forecasts

• Warnings for communication disruptions, power outages, and navigation interference

• Extended tornado and thunderstorm warning lead times

• Monitoring of space weather and radiation hazards

GOES-18 also supports Search and Rescue (SAR) operations through the GEOSAR system—detecting emergency beacon signals with lower uplink power requirements, enabling broader coverage for life-saving missions.

Launch and Deployment Timeline

• Launch Date: March 1, 2022

• Launch Vehicle: Atlas V

• Launch Site: Cape Canaveral SFS

• Orbit Location: Initially 89.5°W (checkout), then moved to 137.2°W as GOES-West

• Design Life: 15 years (10 years operational after 5-year replacement phase)

After launch, GOES-T was renamed GOES-18 on March 14, 2022, upon reaching geostationary orbit. Post-launch testing was split between 89.5°W and 136.8°W. It supported critical hurricane season operations during GOES-17’s infrared sensor issues.

Redesign and Instrument Fixes
A key improvement in GOES-18 was the redesign of the loop heat pipe (LHP) on the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI). This fix was necessary after GOES-17 experienced a severe cooling system failure. Lockheed Martin, along with Harris Corporation, removed and rebuilt the ABI on GOES-T prior to launch to prevent recurring issues.

Operational Transition and Interleaving
From August 1 to September 6 and October 15 to November 11, 2022, GOES-18 ABI data was interleaved with GOES-17 data to address performance drops during warm periods. NOAA executed a seamless transition plan, ensuring:

• No need for antenna repointing

• Continuity of X-band downlink services

• Telemetry and data sharing via Cloud interfaces

GOES-17 has since been moved to 105°W as a backup satellite.

Tribute
The GOES-T launch was dedicated to Mark Timm, a respected ULA team member. The rocket fairing bore the inscription:
“In memory of our colleague and friend – Mark Timm – The ULA Team.”