MELBOURNE, Fla. — NOAA declared the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-18 fully operational as GOES West, marking a significant milestone for severe weather detection in the Western Hemisphere.
Launched March 1, 2022, the primary instrument aboard GOES-18 is the L3Harris high-resolution Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI). L3Harris also produced the enterprise ground system which processes the imagery and controls the weather satellite constellation and its suite of instruments.
“Yesterday's declaration of GOES-18 as fully operational reinforces our relentless pursuit to build a more weather-ready nation,” said Rob Mitrevski, Vice President and General Manager, Spectral Solutions, Space and Airborne Systems, L3Harris. “As a long-standing and trusted partner to NOAA, we have successfully delivered more than 75 payloads in 60 years and are proud of the significant role our technology is playing to help detect future severe weather events.”
The ABI views Earth with 16 spectral bands and provides three times more spectral information, four times the spatial resolution, and more than five times faster coverage than the previous generation imager. The ABI onboard GOES-18 provides critical weather data on the western contiguous U.S., Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, Central America and the Pacific.
The final satellite in the GOES-R series of advanced geostationary weather sensors, GOES-U, is slated to launch in 2024 and features L3Harris’ fourth ABI. NOAA’s next-generation geostationary satellite mission, Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO), will begin operating in the early 2030s and the imager award is expected to be announced in early 2023.
About L3Harris Technologies
L3Harris Technologies is a trusted disruptor for the global aerospace and defense industry. With customers’ mission-critical needs always in mind, our 46,000 employees deliver end-to-end technology solutions connecting the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions. Such statements are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements about satellites’ future operations, capabilities and awards are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. L3Harris disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
# # #
