NASA LIVE: ULA Atlas V to launch NOAA's GOES-T weather satellite

NASA and ULA are set to launch powerful GOES-T weather satellite aboard Atlas V rocket. Launch is scheduled on Tuesday, March 1 at 4:38 p.m. EST (21:38 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

GOES-T mission is joint effort between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). GOES satellite network helps meteorologists observe and predict local weather events, including thunderstorms, tornadoes, fog, hurricanes, flash floods, and other severe weather. In addition, GOES observations have proven helpful in monitoring dust storms, volcanic eruptions, and forest fires.

The launch is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

After GOES-T launches, it will be renamed GOES-18 once it reaches geostationary orbit. Following a successful on-orbit checkout of its instruments and systems, NOAA plans to put GOES-T immediately into operational service, replacing GOES-17 as GOES West.