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[whimsical music]

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- [Narrator] The launch of NOAA's GOES-16

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and GOES-17 satellites in 2016 and 2018

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forever changed the world of environmental monitoring

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and hazard detection in the Western hemisphere.

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As the first two of the GOES-R series

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of advanced geostationary satellites,

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they have already begun providing

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an unprecedented leap forward in U.S. weather observations.

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Their advanced instruments

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are streaming back more detailed views of weather events

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faster than ever before.

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Now, that legacy is set to continue

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with the upcoming launch of GOES-T,

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which will become GOES-18 once in orbit.

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The GOES satellites provide imagery of the earth

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in extraordinary detail and clarity,

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providing invaluable information to forecasters,

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government officials,

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and emergency managers

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charged with protecting the life and property

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of those in harm's way.

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But GOES-16 and 17 are only the first steps

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in establishing the United States' next generation

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geostationary observing system.

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This year,

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NOAA will launch the newest satellite in this system:

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GOES-T.

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Join us for a front row seat to this upcoming launch

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as we take you inside the world of NOAA's GOES-T.

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The United States

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uses two Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites,

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or GOES, at all times.

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One is in an East position,

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which keeps watch over most of North America,

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including the contiguous United States and Mexico,

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as well as Central and South America, the Caribbean,

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and the Atlantic Ocean to the western coast of Africa.

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The other is in the West position,

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which monitors the western United States,

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the Pacific Ocean, Alaska, and Hawaii.

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These satellites orbit more than 22,000 miles above Earth

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at speeds equal to the planet's rotation.

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This precise orbit enables the satellites

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to remain over a fixed area on Earth's surface

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and provide continuous coverage of more than half the globe,

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from the west coast of
Africa to New Zealand

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and from near the Arctic
Circle to the Antarctic Circle.

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In late 2017,

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GOES-16 officially took over operational duties

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in the GOES East position,

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while NOAA's GOES-17 took over the GOES West position

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in early 2019.

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Once GOES-T is in orbit,

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it will be moved into the GOES-West position

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and GOES-17 will be placed on standby.

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Weather is always changing

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and the better we can
predict what's coming,

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the better we can prepare.

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The addition of GOES-T

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will help improve weather forecasting across the country

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and will provide critical data

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for the westernmost United States,

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including Alaska and Hawaii.

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These areas are dominated by high impact weather events,

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experiencing a nearly year-round fire weather season,

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extreme fluctuations and precipitation,

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prolonged heat waves, and dangerous flooding.

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These events can significantly impact human health,

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agriculture, water supply,

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and recreation in the region.

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Like its sister satellites,

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GOES-T carries a suite of highly advanced instruments.

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Its primary instrument,

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the Advanced Baseline Imager, or ABI,

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allows us to see Earth's weather, oceans, and environment

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with 16 different spectral bands.

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These allow meteorologists and local officials

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to be able to see severe weather events and hazards

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like wildfires and floods,

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develop across the country in near real time.

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GOES-T is also equipped with NOAA's

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revolutionary Geostationary Lightning Mapper, or GLM.

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The GLM continuously monitors lightning flashes.

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This data is helping forecasters better predict

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when a storm is forming, intensifying,

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and becoming more severe.

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In today's digital world,

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space weather is not just science fiction.

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That's why GOES-T has a suite of instruments

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that will help monitor space weather.

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Geomagnetic storms caused by eruptions

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on the surface of the sun

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can cause serious trouble on and around the planet.

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Strong enough storms can damage satellites

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and electrical power grids,

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interrupt radio and satellite communications,

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cause our GPS navigation to fail,

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and harm astronauts.

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NOAA's GOES-T will also lend a helping hand

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to stranded hikers, sailors, and aviators

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throughout the highly traversed

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and often dangerous terrains of the western United States.

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The satellite is equipped with a special transponder

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that can detect distress signals

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emitted from emergency beacons.

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When a signal is received,

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GOES-T will send

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the location of the activated beacon to NOAA,

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which will notify search and rescue personnel

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at the US Coast Guard and Air Force.

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Known as Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking,

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or SARSAT, the program has aided in the rescue

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of well over 48,000 people worldwide,

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including nearly 10,000 within the United States

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and its surrounding waters since its start in 1982.

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Taking GOES-T from its initial concept to launch

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was a highly coordinated and collaborative effort.

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Teams of experts from NOAA,
NASA, Lockheed Martin,

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L3Harris and United Launch Alliance

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have worked together for years

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to design and build these four GOES-R series satellites.

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Once completed, GOES-T was tested

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and a launch vehicle selected.

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It was then shipped

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to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida,

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where it arrived on November 10th, 2021

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in preparation for launch.

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NOAA's GOES-T will be traveling to space

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aboard a ULA Atlas V-541

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expendable launch vehicle, or rocket.

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The rocket weighs about 1.19 million pounds

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and is a staggering 196 feet tall.

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When the terminal countdown hits zero,

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the Atlas V RD-180 main engine

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and four solid rocket boosters

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will ignite to generate

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the two and a quarter million pounds of thrust

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to lift the rocket away from the pad.

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Shortly after liftoff,

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Atlas will begin its initial pitch, yaw, and roll maneuvers

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to attain the proper ascent profile

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and minimize aerodynamic loads.

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The Atlas V reaches Mach 1, the speed of sound,

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at 35 seconds.

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At 48 seconds,

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the vehicle will experience maximum dynamic pressure.

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All four solid rocket boosters, or SRBs,

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are jettisoned at one minute, 50 seconds.

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Less than two seconds later,

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the payload faring is jettisoned.

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Approaching booster engine cutoff,

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the Atlas V burns propellant

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at the rate of 1,856 pounds per second,

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traveling at over 13,340 miles per hour

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and will be located 83 miles in altitude

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and 267 miles down range.

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Booster engine cutoff occurs

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four minutes, 22 seconds after liftoff.

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A few seconds after that,

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the booster stage will be jettisoned.

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The vehicle now weighs a little more than 5%

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of what it did at liftoff.

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Ten seconds after booster separation,

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the first Centaur main engine start takes place.

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Cutoff of the Centaur main engine occurs

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just over 12 minutes after launch.

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The mission now enters

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a nearly 10 and a half minute coast phase.

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At 23 minutes, 39 seconds,

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the Centaur main engine is restarted.

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This burn will last five and a half minutes.

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Following the second Centaur main engine cutoff

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at just after 28 minutes,

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the mission enters a three hour coast phase.

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Roughly three and a half hours after liftoff,

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the Centaur is started for a third and final burn.

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Then, approximately a minute and a half later,

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final cutoff of the Centaur main engine occurs.

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At three hours, 32 minutes and 56 seconds,

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Centaur will release the GOES-T satellite for NOAA and NASA

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and the satellite will fly in space

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alone for the first time.

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In the days that follow,

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GOES-T will undergo a series of maneuvers

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to bring the satellite into a geostationary orbit.

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This is scheduled to occur

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approximately 12 days after launch.

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Once in stable orbit,

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GOES-T, now designated GOES-18,

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will undergo an on orbit checkout

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of all of its instruments and systems.

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NOAA expects GOES-18 to replace GOES-17

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as the operational GOES West
satellite in early 2023.

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Join us March 2022 as we see it off

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on its mission to improve United States weather forecasting.

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[Whimsical music]