GOES 3
Artist's impression of an SMS-series GOES satellite in orbit
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| Mission type | Weather satellite |
|---|---|
| Operator | NOAA |
| COSPAR ID | 1978-062A |
| Mission duration | 35+ years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | SMS |
| Manufacturer | Ford Aerospace |
| Launch mass | 627 kilograms (1,382 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 16 June 1978, 10:49 UTC |
| Rocket | Delta 2914 |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-17B |
| Contractor | McDonnell Douglas |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 135° West (1978-1981) 90° West (1982-1984) 185° West (1985-1987) 129° West (1987-1990) 175° West (1990-1995) 102-110° West (1996—) |
| Slot | GOES-WEST (1978-1981) |
| Perigee | 35,800 kilometers (22,200 mi) |
| Apogee | 35,772 kilometers (22,228 mi) |
| Inclination | 14.3 degrees |
| Period | 24 hours |
GOES 3, known as GOES-C before becoming operational, is an American geostationary weather and communications satellite. It was originally built for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as part of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system, and was launched in June 1978. It is positioned in geostationary orbit, from where it was initially used for weather forecasting in the United States. Since ceasing to function as a weather satellite in 1989, it has been used as a communications satellite, and has spent over thirty-eight years in operation. GOES 3 was decommissioned 29 June 2016 at the CSTARS facility in Miami, Florida.
GOES 3 was built by Ford Aerospace, and is based on the satellite bus developed for the SMS programme. At launch it had a mass of 627 kilograms (1,382 lb).
GOES-C was launched using a Delta 2914 carrier rocket flying from Launch Complex 17B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch occurred at 10:49 GMT on 16 June 1978, just two minutes short of a year after the previous satellite, GOES 2.
The launch successfully placed GOES-C into a geosynchronous transfer orbit, from which it raised itself to geostationary orbit using an onboard SVM-5 apogee motor. Its insertion into geosynchronous orbit occurred at 03:22 on 17 June.
GOES-C underwent on-orbit testing, and was subsequently redesignated GOES 3. It replaced GOES 1 in service, and was initially operated at 135° West. In 1981, it was moved to 90° West, arriving in 1982, before departing again in 1984. In 1985 it arrived back at 135° West. In 1987 it was moved to 129° West, where it operated until it became unusable for meteorological studies in 1989.
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