The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-U (GOES-U) was successfully launched on June 25, 2024, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. This marks the completion of the Extreme Ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensors (EXIS) program, led by the University of Colorado Boulder’s LASP, enhancing space weather monitoring.
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-U (GOES-U) was launched into space from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25, 2024, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. This is the fourth and final satellite in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) – R Series, providing advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements, real-time mapping of lightning activity, and monitoring of space weather.
This event marks the culmination of nearly 20 years of work by scientists and engineers at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP). The satellite will be renamed GOES-19 once it reaches geostationary orbit.
Frank Eparvier, associate director for science at LASP and lead scientist for EXIS, likened the milestone to a bittersweet moment. “It’s like sending your kid off to college. There’s a sense of sadness that all of this long, preparatory work is ending, but pride and excitement that the goal of that work is becoming reality.”
EXIS instruments play a critical role in monitoring space weather. They detect solar flares and other solar phenomena that can have significant impacts on Earth’s environment and technological systems. The instruments consist of two sensors: an X-Ray Sensor (XRS) and an Extreme Ultraviolet Sensor (EUVS).
The XRS picks up X-ray radiation from the Sun and detects the initial signs of solar flares while the EUVS monitors fluctuations in the Sun’s activity that cause Earth’s atmosphere to expand and contract, affecting satellites in orbit.
“LASP is the only academic institution providing major hardware for the GOES-R series,” said Dan Baker, director of LASP. “LASP has consistently delivered on time and on budget and demonstrated the highest levels of success for the operational needs of NOAA and the U.S. government.”
The GOES program is a joint effort between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). While the program is primarily known for monitoring terrestrial weather events such as hurricanes and tropical storms, the EXIS instruments focus on space weather. Understanding and predicting space weather is crucial for protecting satellites, astronauts, and even power grids on Earth.
The launch of GOES-U represents a significant achievement for Eparvier. His interest in space weather began in the 1980s when he witnessed an aurora over Wisconsin’s Lake Winnebago. “It was a major solar storm, and I sat there until three in the morning on my chaise lounge looking at the aurora,” Eparvier recalled. “That really got me interested: What is it? Why is it?”
Since then, Eparvier has dedicated his career to understanding space weather. The first EXIS instrument was launched in 2016, followed by additional instruments in 2018 and 2022. The final instrument, launched today, will complete the series. Each instrument was designed to withstand the harsh conditions of geostationary orbit, more than 35 405 km (22 000 miles) above Earth, where radiation levels are high.
The EXIS instruments provide valuable data to scientists at NOAA, who use the information to issue timely warnings to satellite operators and others affected by space weather. “EXIS really is providing an asset to the entire world,” Eparvier said.
The data collected by EXIS instruments have already proven their worth. In May 2024, a series of solar flares triggered auroras that reached as far south as Florida. Eparvier and his colleagues were among the first to detect these flares, thanks to the EXIS instruments. Reflecting on the event, Eparvier shared a personal moment. “My wife and I went up to the Wyoming border and joined a group of people on a friend’s piece of land. We sat there and took amazing pictures of the aurora.”
GOES-U will also carry a copy of the Naval Research Laboratory’s Compact CORonagraph (CCOR) instrument which, along with the CCOR planned for Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1), will allow continued monitoring of solar wind after the retirement of the NASA/ESA SOHO satellite in 2025.
The launch of GOES-U and the deployment of the final EXIS instrument represent a significant advancement in the monitoring of space weather. As these instruments continue to send data back to Earth, scientists will be better equipped to understand and predict solar events, ultimately enhancing the safety and reliability of space and Earth-based technologies.
References:
1 Space instruments provide early warnings for solar flares – Colorado University – June 21, 2024
Featured image credit: NASA