Lockheed Martin has just delivered the core structure of the first next-generation geostationary weather satellite of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, where it will be subject to propulsion system integration.
The satellite, named Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R Series (GOES-R), will be outfitted with state-of-the-art instruments and technology to enhance the quality and timeliness in weather forecasting for the U.S and Western Hemisphere. The development of the spacecraft is reported to be moving on schedule for its planned launch in 2015.
The rigid core structure of the first GOES-R Series which will enclose the satellite’s propulsion systems and support the payloads, was designed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Newtown, Pennsylvania, and manufactured by ATK Aerospace Group’s Space and Components Division in San Diego. The device weighs only 400 pounds, but it can support loads of more than 95,000 pounds in the thrust direction, and 1.8 million in-pounds in a bending moment.
The integration of the propulsion system in the GOES-R Series will last almost a year. During that period, the team will integrate GOES-R’s fuel tanks, lines, thermal controls, and other systems within the core structure. When the integration process is finished, the structure will be matched with the GOES-R system module, where the satellite’s advanced instruments live.
Aside from the spacecraft, Lockheed Martin is also building and designing the Solar ultraviolet Imager and Geostationary Lighting Mapper for the GOES-R satellite.
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