Date: March 5th 2010

March 4, 2010

George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
george.h.diller@nasa.gov

Steve Cole
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0918
stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov

John Leslie
NOAA, Silver Spring, Md.
301-713-2087
John.leslie@noaa.gov

RELEASE: 10-59

NASA AND NOAA'S GOES-P SATELLITE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-P, lifted off Thursday aboard a Delta IV rocket at 6:57 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite joins four other similar spacecraft to improve weather forecasting and monitoring of environmental events.

Approximately four hours and 21 minutes after liftoff, the spacecraft separated from the launch vehicle. The NASA Deep Space Network tracking site in Canberra, Western Australia, monitored the spacecraft separation.

"It's a great day for NASA and NOAA, as this last launch completes the spacecraft in the GOES N-P series," said Andre Dress, the NASA GOES Deputy Project Manager. "It means the hard work and dedication from this team during the past 12-plus years all has been worth it. Our review of the spacecraft and launch vehicle data shows that GOES-P is in a nominal transfer orbit with all spacecraft systems functioning properly."

GOES-P is the third and final spacecraft in the GOES N Series of geostationary environmental weather satellites. On March 13, GOES-P is scheduled to be placed in its final orbit and renamed GOES-15.

NOAA has two operational GOES satellites hovering 22,300 miles above the equator -- GOES-12 in the east and GOES-11 in the west. Each provides continuous observations of environmental conditions in North, Central and South America and the surrounding oceans. GOES-13 is being moved to replace GOES-12, which will be positioned to provide coverage for South America as part of the Global Earth Observing System of Systems, or GEOSS.

NASA contracted with Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems of Seal Beach, Calif., to build and launch the GOES-P spacecraft. Approximately 20 days after launch, Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems will turn engineering control over to NASA. About five months later, NASA will transfer operational control of GOES-15 to NOAA. The satellite will be checked out and stored on-orbit. It will be available for activation should one of the operational GOES satellites degrades or exhausts its fuel.

NOAA manages the GOES program, establishes requirements, provides all funding and distributes environmental satellite data for the United States. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., procures and manages the design, development and launch of the satellites for NOAA on a cost reimbursable basis. NASA's Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida supported the GOES-P launch in an advisory role.

For more information about the GOES-P mission and program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/goes-p

For more information about NOAA, visit:

http://www.noaa.gov

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to: ksc-subscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to: ksc-unsubscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov

The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription:

You are subscribed to the following list:

[STS ISS STATUS]

using the following email:

example@example.com

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:

<http://www.aus-city.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/STS_ISS_STATUS/>

If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.

You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen:

<http://www.aus-city.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/STS_ISS_STATUS>

If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:

<mailto:list.admin@aus-city.com>

The following physical address is associated with this mailing list:

http://www.aus-city.com