GOES 14

GOES 14, known as GOES-O prior to reaching its operational orbit, is an American weather satellite, which is part of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) system. The spacecraft was built by Boeing and is based on the BSS-601 bus. It is the second of three GOES satellites to use the BSS-601 bus, after GOES 13, which was launched in May 2006.

It was launched by United Launch Alliance aboard a Delta IV-M+(4,2) rocket at 22:51 GMT on 27 June 2009, from Space Launch Complex 37B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Upon reaching geostationary orbit, on 7 July, it was redesignated GOES 14. It underwent a 6-month series of post-launch tests before completing its "check-out" phase and then was placed into "orbital storage mode" or stand-by. Its first full disk image was sent on 27 July 2009

GOES 14 was brought out of storage and began one-minute rapid scans of Tropical Storm Isaac on August 24, 2012. On September 24, 2012, it temporarily assumed the role of GOES-East after GOES 13 experienced technical difficulties. On October 1, 2012 it began moving east at a rate of .9 degrees per day to an ultimate geosynchronous position of 75 degrees west longitude to better cover the Atlantic basin during troubleshooting and repair of GOES 13. GOES 13 was returned to service on 18 October 2012.

GOES 14 was used to monitor Superstorm Sandy in parallel with the repaired GOES 13 and was returned to storage afterwards. GOES 14 was reactivated on May 23, 2013 following another anomaly with GOES 13.

Launch


The first attempt to launch GOES-O was made on 26 June 2009, during a launch window running from 22:14-23:14 UTC (18:14-19:14 EDT). Due to rain and lightning at the launch site, the launch was delayed from the start of the window to 22:44 GMT, and once this passed, it was reset to the end of the window. At 22:59 GMT, the launch was scrubbed after field mills detected an unacceptably strong electrical field in the atmosphere, and fifteen minutes would have been required from this clearing in order to launch - longer than remained of the launch window. The weather satellite was eventually launched on 27 June 2009 22:51 UTC (16:51 EDT).