GOES-NO/PQ Status
latest update 13 June 2006
The GOES-NOPQ contract is remarkable for being fixed-price, with delivery on-orbit, and with a warranty for one no-cost replacement satellite if something fails that is critical to the GOES mission.
On this series, the GOES-N/O/P Imagers will not have the 12-13 micron channel (a volcanic ash-sensitive channel which was converted to a cloud-sensing 12.9-13.8 micron channel on GOES-M). GOES-O/P will have improved 4 km resolution in the 13 micron channel.
In 2002, with the previous spacecraft lasting longer than expected, NOAA decided to not exercise the option for GOES-Q, even though they have already purchased the corresponding Imager and Sounder from ITT.
By August 2003, the schedule for GOES-N had slipped about 2 years, with NOAA's approval.
By December 2003, the instruments were on the GOES-N/O spacecraft, and the N spacecraft was headed for thermal-vac testing.
By June 2006, GOES-N is just launched, GOES-O is in ground storage, and GOES-P is finishing thermal-vac testing.
The mid-2006 schedule is:
| Satellite | Readiness date | Launch need date | Planned launch date | Actual launch date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GOES-N | April 2004 | December 2004 | January 2005 | May 2006 |
| GOES-O | April 2005 | July 2007 | September 2007 | TBD |
| GOES-P | April 2006 | April 2008 | October 2008 | TBD |
| GOES-Q | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
However, NOAA did not take any action to procure additional instruments that would make GOES-NOPQ a more capable mission.
Allen Kenitzer
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
(Phone: 301/286-2806)
Pat Viets
NOAA/National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information
Service, Suitland, MD
(Phone: 301/457-5005)
RELEASE: c98-b
HUGHES SELECTED TO BUILD WEATHER SATELLITES
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) have awarded a $423 million contract to Hughes Space and
Communications, El Segundo, CA, for the manufacture, launch and
delivery on-orbit of up to four weather-monitoring Geostationary
Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES).
The procurement of the GOES-N through -Q spacecraft marks the
extension of this multi-satellite program designed to provide
continuous monitoring of the Earth's weather systems and the
related space environment. The new spacecraft will be used to
continue and enhance the functions of the current GOES I-M series
of spacecraft.
GOES spacecraft are a mainstay of modern weather forecasting,
providing meteorologists and hydrologists with visible and
infrared images of weather systems, and precise atmospheric
soundings. They orbit above the equator at a height of 22,238
miles, stationed at 75 degrees west longitude and 135 degrees west
longitude to provide broad views of the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans where storms can be monitored while first forming.
The basic contract value of $423.1 million provides for two
spacecraft, GOES-N and -O, at a fixed total price. There are
separate, fixed-price options for two additional spacecraft, GOES-
P and -Q, priced at $190.9 million and $185 million, respectively.
Along with these options, there are additional, separately
priced potential contract costs. They include Government-directed
task assignments; additional integration and test support; changes
to Government-furnished equipment deliveries; program- related
launch vehicle changes; directed launch delays (due primarily to
on-orbit satellites lasting longer than expected) and related
spacecraft ground storage; and post-storage testing.
The GOES program is a partnership between NOAA and NASA's
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. NOAA is responsible
for program management and budget, determining the technical
requirements for the spacecraft, operating the spacecraft in orbit
and disseminating the resulting data. The NASA Goddard GOES
project office is responsible for the acquisition of the
spacecraft and oversight of the contract, and will support NOAA
during the post-launch operations phase.
The first spacecraft purchased under this contract will be
ready for launch in October 2001. GOES N-Q will carry an Imager
and a Sounder to provide regular measurements of Earth's
atmosphere, cloud cover and land surfaces. Two of them also will
carry a Solar X-ray Imager and Space Environment Monitor instruments.
-end-
Subject: GOES-NO/P/Q
Author: Thomas.M.Wrublewski.1@gsfc.nasa.gov at EXTERNAL
Date: 1/28/98 5:53 PM
Today, Wednesday, January 28, 1998, it was announced that Hughes was
selected for the GOES-NO/P/Q contract.
Listed below is preliminary planning information for your use, if needed,
and a copy of the press release.
Contractual Engineering Handover Dates:
GOES-N October 31, 2001
GOES-O April 30, 2003
If option exercised GOES-P April 30, 2006
If option exercised GOES-Q April 30, 2008
Planning Purposes Milestones:
Contract Award to Panametrics for SEM Instruments March 4, 1998
GOES-N/O Flight Software Conceptual Design (SWCR) March 5, 1998
EDDS (electronic data transfer system) Critical Design review March 31, 1998
GOES-N/O System Concept Review (SCR) May 5, 1998
GOES-N/O Flight Software Requirements Review (SWRR) May 7, 1998
Spacecraft Support Ground System (SSGS) Concept Review (SCR) May 7, 1998
Spacecraft Support Ground System (SSGS) PDR July 31, 1998
GOES-N/O Preliminary Design Review (PDR) August 13, 1998
Spacecraft Emulator and Performance Evaluation System PDR November 3, 1998
Deliver SXI to GOES-N Mechanical Interface January 8, 1999
GTACS Proof-of-Concept Demonstration February 15, 1999
Communications Subsystem CDR March 10, 1999
Spacecraft Support Ground System (SSGS) CDR April 9, 1999
GOES-N/O Critical Design Review (CDR) May 13, 1999
Delivery of Imager/Sounder S/C Emulator Elements June 17, 1999
Performance Evaluation System (PES) Delivery July 30, 1999
Flight Software Test Readiness Review (SWTRR) August 17, 1999
Flight Software Acceptance Review (SWAR) October 14, 1999
Spacecraft Support Ground System (SSGS) Pre-Shipment Review March 14, 2000
Deliver Ground System to SOCC and CDAs March 23, 2000
GOES-N Mission Operation Review (MOR) May 12, 2000
GOES-N End-to-end Test 1A Completed June 23, 2000
GOES-N Pre-Environmental Testing Review (PER) September 19, 2000
Flight Operations Training Program Completed October 4, 2000
GOES-N End-to-End Test 2 Completed January 26, 2001
Final INR System Description and Analysis Document Delivered April 27, 2001
GOES-N Pre-Shipment Review (PSR) May 21, 2001
GOES-N Flight Operations Review (FOR) June 6, 2001
GOES-N External Independent Readiness Review (EIRR) August 15, 2001
GOES-N Dress Rehearsal September 14, 2001
GOES-N Mission Readiness Review (MRR) September 10, 2001
GOES-N Spacecraft Launch Readiness Review (LRR) October 5, 2001
GOES-N Spacecraft Engineering Handover October 31, 2001
GOES-N Final On-orbit Acceptance April 30, 2002
Spacecraft Support Ground System (SSGS) Final Acceptance Review July 2, 2002
Date: Sat, 18 Jan 1997 13:11:42 -0500 (EST)
Two spacecraft to be competitively procured
with options for one plus one.
Firm fixed price contract.
Imager & Sounder being sole source
procured from ITT on CPAF/IF contract (all fee provisional) and
to be GFE to the spacecraft.
Solar X-Ray Imager to be competitively
procured GFE, also capable of flying on warranty spacecraft, and
will be procured under a contract with cost incentives and provisional
award fee. SXI has a 3 year design life requirement with a goal
of 5 years. GOES mission life met with 2-satellite redundancy
-- 1 SXI operational coverage requirement.
Lightning Mapper (LM) will be a new instrument
of opportunity capability.
Phase-B studies are underway for a Double
Rate Imager (DRI), addition of a 6th channel to the Imager, and
a Geosynchronous High-Resolution Interferometer Sounder (GHIS)
that can be achieved by interferometer in place of the existing
Sounder filter wheel.
GOES-NO/PQ will include the growth capability
to add LM, DRI, and GHIS.
Launch vehicle selection can include many
possibilities for ELV (such as Atlas IIA or Delta 3) and variations
that might include delivery to orbit without the usual NASA/NOAA
involvement. GFE of launch services is also a possibility.
The ground system is required to support the GOES-I thru M spacecraft operations as well as NO/PQ. Existing ground systems can be modified and/or entire new ground systems proposed. The Government reserves the right to separately procure any or all hardware and software for the Ground system if that is the best value to the Government. Ground system changes, including modifications to existing equipment/software, are the responsibility of the spacecraft contractor.
The Space Environment Monitoring will include several improvements in particle sensing capabilities (to be presented by Dr. Howard Singer of NOAA-SEC). SEM instruments included in the S/C contract.
The Emergency Managers' Weather Information
Network (EMWIN) is a relatively new service that has significant
NWS and NESDIS support for improvement. Cy Settles, from Wallops
CDA, is formulating and coordinating with the NWS the details
of the desired improvements.
Data Collection System WEFAX and Search
& Rescue 406 MHz services are retained.
Spacecraft and prime instruments must operate
through eclipse. No interruption to instrument operation, except
during applicable keep out zones.
| Launch | Planning | |||
| Readiness | Launch | |||
| Imager/Sounder | SXI | Date | Date | |
| GOES-N | 12/1999 | 5/2000 | 4/2001 | 4/2002 |
| GOES-O | 4/2001 | 4/2002 | 4/2003 | 4/2005 |
| (options) | ||||
| GOES-P | 4/2004 | 4/2005 | 4/2006 | 4/2007 |
| GOES-Q | 7/2006 | 4/2007 | 4/2008 | 4/2010 |
Industry Capability Statements and Comments to RFP Draft Requirements, Received 1/15/97
Definitize Imager & Sounder Contract with ITT by February 1997
Release S/C RFP Business Sections for Industry Comment in Feb.
Conduct Industry Discussions in Jan./Feb.
Complete SXI Proposal Evaluations by April with contract award in May
Release S/C RFP in April (45-60 days for proposal receipt)
GOES-NO/PQ Contract Award October
1997
Direct contract with NASA/GSFC and all fee is provisional to on orbit performance.
NEDN improvements (see attachment).
Imager spectral tolerances modified IAW science committee specifications and NOAA CCB (see attachment).
Additional detectors to be purchased to improve likelihood of achieving improved MTF and IGFOV.
Cooler finish improvement expected
to provide a small improvement in efficiency and detector performance.
Other JCSat efficiencies.
Increased emphasis on coregistration and
meeting specifications.
Re-Engineered Test Program will reduce
test time and cost.
Prototype S/N 01 Sounder and S/N 02 Imager
instruments available for loan to serious potential S/C vendors
to conduct tests to verify their understanding of the instrument
interface and to demonstrate compatibility with other spacecraft
at no cost to the Government.
Present bus not meeting INR specifications.
Parts obsolescence precludes ability to
buy more of the same.
Lower price and better Government negotiation
position.
Low cost opportunity to enhance ground
operations and reduce life cycle costs.
Greater power capability will allow additional
operations during eclipse.
New S/C will have more growth capability
for future upgrades.
No valid JOFOC rationale ... i.e. not authorized or required by statute; no unusual and compelling urgency; more than one responsible source.
Industry is capable and interested.
OMB and joint Congressional committee encouraged
competition.
"The satellite design must facilitate the inclusion of a new (additional) instrument ... because the sounding technology available for launch in 1990 cannot meet all of the basic NWS goals."
Requirement to provide short term forecasting information at the local and regional level requires:
-- higher horizontal resolution
-- flexibility to select the area of interest
-- more spectral channels
-- rapid and more frequent data delivery
-- high reliability
-- flexibility for growth, development and
research
"The design for the GOES-NEXT system must minimize the conflict between large and small scale applications of the GOES imagery, i.e., the acquisition of full disk and U.S. image sectors."
"The visible imagery must have a nadir
resolution of at least 1 km." and "a spatial resolution
for sounding measurement of IFOV < 10 km X 10 km."
"Navigation accuracy of the GOES-NEXT imagery information should, in an absolute sense, be no more than 2km. Picture to picture relative accuracy of one-half of a field of view over four consecutive images is required."
"Channel to channel misregistration
should not exceed one-tenth of a field of view."
"A simple statement of the desired
accuracy of temperature and moisture soundings from GOES might
be to request no more than about a +0.5 deg error in temperature,
and good reproduction of the vertical detail that is often present
in the lower troposphere and considered to be important in forecasting
convective outbreaks."
PROCUREMENT DELARATION: GOES-NO/PQ is intended to take a low risk
cost effective evolutionary step closer to achieving the previously
stated NWS goals and will advance NOAA's space weather monitoring
capabilities.
NASA Official: Dennis.Chesters@nasa.gov