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On March 1st, at 4:38 pm EST, United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket launched the GOES-T Weather satellite toward Geostationary Orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Built by Lockheed Martin, GOES-T is a new Weather, Ocean, and Climate satellite with further advancements in technology.
There are two new instruments on board this spacecraft built by Lockheed Martin's Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto, California:
Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM): first of its kind lightning mapper launched into orbit and can track lightning across the United States in real-time.
Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUVI): Measures the sun in the ultraviolet wavelength range and captures solar images. This new instrument will help with predicting solar weather that may disrupt communication, navigation, or power on Earth.
After being placed into its final Geostationary orbit above Earth, GOES-T will be renamed to GOES-18, taking GOES-17's place looking over the US. The new satellite will begin operations in January 2023 and assist in severe weather monitoring such as Volcanic Eruptions, land and surface temperatures, wildfires, and solar flares. The last of the GOES-R weather satellites, GOES-U, is currently in production and has a planned launch for 2024.