GOES-18 Post-Launch Testing and Transition to Operations

GOES-T launched on March 1, 2022, and was renamed GOES-18 upon reaching geostationary orbit at 89.5 degrees West on March 14. Following a successful on-orbit checkout and testing of its instruments and systems, NOAA plans to put GOES-18 immediately into operational service, replacing GOES-17 as GOES-West. GOES-17 will be placed in on-orbit storage.

GOES-18 is undergoing a “split” post-launch testing (PLT) phase that places the satellite into position near the current GOES-West location of 137.2 degrees West so the GOES-18 Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) data will be available for the “warm” periods that degrade GOES-17 imagery during the height of hurricane season. The transition plan allows for early operational use of GOES-18 ABI data after Beta maturity is achieved and incorporates radio frequency conflict mitigation between GOES-17 and GOES-18.

The drift of GOES-18 from 89.5 degrees west to 136.8 degrees west was completed on June 6, 2022. A slight reconfiguration of the nominal GOES-West orbit location will then occur by nudging GOES-17 to the 137.3 degrees west location, providing room for nudging GOES-18 to the 137.0 degrees west location. From this location, GOES-18 will complete the remainder of its product testing and also provide an operational interleave of data. The interleave is the combination of GOES-18 ABI data "interleaved" with GOES-17 non-ABI product data (GLM, space weather instruments) via GOES-17 GOES Rebroadcast (GRB) and Product Distribution and Access (PDA). Two interleave periods will occur Aug. 1 – Sept. 6 and Oct. 15 – Nov. 11, 2022.

All products will be mapped to 137.0 degrees west and although all antennas should be re-peaked, only antennas larger than 7 meters will need to be repointed. NOAA plans for GOES-18 to assume the GOES-West role in early 2023.