GOES-I/M SPACECRAFT

The spacecraft derive from Space System/Loral's communcations satellites, providing a 3-axis stabilized design with sufficient power and weight-bearing capacity for NOAA's mission.

MAIN SPACECRAFT DESIGN ELEMENTS

Mission life            5 years, minimum

Dimensions
 Main body              2 meter (7 foot) cube
 Deployed length        27 meters (88 feet)

Weight                  2100 kg (4600 lb)

Orbit                   Geosynchronous
 Altitude               36,000 km (22,000 mi)
 Longitude              75W and 135W
 Latitude               equatorial, within 0.5 degree

Power                   1050 watts @ 42 volts, solar array; battery backup

Launch vehicle          Atlas-I/Centaur (GOES-I/K), Atlas-II/Centaur (GOES-L/M)

Communications          Imager and Sounder in GVAR format at 2.1 Mbits/sec