GOES-N PRELAUNCH PRESS CONFERENCE SET FOR MAY 23
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-N (GOES-N) to be launched into orbit for NASA aboard a Boeing Delta IV rocket will be the focus of a prelaunch press conference at 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday, May 23, at the NASA Kennedy Space Center Press Site.
GOES-N, currently scheduled for launch on Wednesday, May 24, is the first of three new geostationary weather and environmental satellites built for NASA by Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems. GOES-N will feature a highly stable pointing platform, which will improve the performance of its Imager and Sounder that are important instruments for creating daily weather-prediction models and for hurricane forecasting. Data from GOES-N will be valuable for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service, which provides oceanographic circulation models and forecasts for U.S. coastal communities.
GOES-N will also provide expanded capability for the space and solar environment-monitoring instruments. Forecasts and warnings for solar disturbances will be enhanced. GOES-N data will protect investments of billions of dollars by the government and private sector for assets on the ground and in space.
As with all of NOAA’s geostationary and polar-orbiting weather satellites, GOES-N will be able to relay distress signals detected from emergency locator beacons on the ground and at sea.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland is responsible for designing and developing the spacecraft and its instruments for NOAA.
Participating in the prelaunch press conference will be:
Steve Kirkner, GOES Program Manager
NOAA
Rick Navarro, Delta IV Launch Director
Boeing Launch Systems
Mark Spiwak, Program Director
Boeing Satellite Systems International
Andre Dress, GOES Deputy Project Manager
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Steve Letro, Meteorologist in Charge
National Weather Service Forecast Office, Jacksonville, Fla.
Joel Tumbiolo, Delta Launch Weather Officer
45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
NASA Television will carry the prelaunch press conference beginning at 1 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 23. Audio of the conference will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321/867-1220…1240…1260…7135. NASA Television and the “V” circuits will also carry Boeing’s commercial launch coverage which begins at 5:45 p.m. EDT, concluding 30 minutes after liftoff.
In the continental United States, NASA Television is on AMC-6, Transponder 17C located at 72 degrees West longitude (4040.0 MHz video, 6.8 MHz audio, MPEG-2 digital signal). In Alaska and Hawaii, all GOES-N events will be on AMC-7 Transponder 18, located at 137 degrees West longitude (4060.0 MHz video, 6.8 MHz audio).
GOES-N is currently scheduled for launch on Wednesday, May 24, during a one-hour launch window that extends from 6:11 to 7:11 p.m. EDT.
For further information, contact the KSC News Center at 321/867-2468.
