Upcoming NOAA Weather Satellite Completes Solar Array Test

NASA has announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geostationary Operational Environment Satellites-U weather satellite completed a solar array test deployment.

During the test, engineers unfolded the array’s five panels on rails simulating zero-gravity environments. The test verified that GOES-U’s solar array will properly deploy once the satellite reaches geostationary orbit, NASA said.

The latest development follows the completion of thermal vacuum testing for GOES-U in late November, where the spacecraft was subject to extreme temperatures and harsh conditions. The test determined GOES-U’s ability to withstand launch and in-orbit conditions.

GOES-U is the fourth satellite in the NOAA’s GOES-R series, which deliver advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements of the Earth’s Western Hemisphere. The GOES-R series will also provide real-time lightning activity mapping and enhanced solar activity and space weather monitoring.

GOES-U is scheduled for launch in April 2024.

The GOES-R program is a collaborative effort between the NOAA and NASA. The four-satellite constellation is designed to scan the Earth five times faster and deliver images with four times better resolution compared to the previous GOES satellites.