How Moog is Enabling NASA and NOAA’s Next Generation of Weather Observation satellites

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) are a marvel of modern technology. GOES-U is the fourth and final deployment of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) GOES-R series of weather-tracking satellites, which provide the most sophisticated weather-observation and environmental monitoring system available. As it enables better weather forecasts, it will have a direct impact on our daily lives – providing information on whether to bring an umbrella when leaving the house to saving lives from disastrous weather events such as hurricanes and tornadoes.

GOES U lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 5:26 p.m. ET on June 25, 2024. Now that is has reached geostationary orbit, GOES-U has been renamed GOES-19.

The primary mission of the GOES-19 satellite is to provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth's weather, oceans, and environment. It also maps lightning activity and improves monitoring of solar activity and space weather. The data collected by the GOES-19 satellite will be instrumental in improving weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, and space weather predictions. It will also aid in the research of climate change and environmental phenomena.

The GOES-19 satellite is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that will allow for the most sophisticated weather imaging ever. Moog technology is critical to ensuring this success.

The satellite has Moog DST-11H 5-lbf bipropellant thrusters, which are used for orbital station keeping maneuvers. With Moog and Lockheed Martin’s collaboration on the program beginning in 2012, the GOES program represented a major milestone for these engines, as it brought Moog’s DST-11H to new qualification levels for both thruster performance and environmental conditions. Moog also supplied MONARC-22 monopropellant thrusters. These thrusters are used for attitude control and station keeping for the satellite. The GOES-19 propulsion system also boasts several types of Moog thruster valves and torque motor latch valves.

“The GOES satellites have an important mission monitoring weather patterns that could have significant impacts on major populations around the globe. It is critical that Moog’s thrusters work the first time and every time. That dedication to quality and performance is an essential tenant of the Moog philosophy,” said Mike Popadick, Moog Engines General Manager.

Of course, with an imaging satellite, ensuring a steady satellite is critical to taking the best pictures. As an industry leader in shock and vibration isolation, Moog provided a custom reaction wheel isolation solution for the satellite that was tuned to provide the desired performance in all degrees of freedom. Each of the six reaction wheels on GOES-19 has its own system of three Moog isolators that are built upon Moog’s SoftRide MultiFlex design.

“These highly engineered vibration mitigation solutions have stood the test of time, with our hardware still performing after 30 years on orbit, as it did on day one. It is a testament to the engineers, technicians, machinists, and all Moog employees who take great pride in what they do every day to ensure our hardware can meet the challenging demand of any space mission,” said Emily Calvanese, Moog Structures and Motion Control General Manager.

The Moog avionics team also provided the transient suppression units (TSU) to Lockheed Martin on all four GOES satellites. The TSU’s provide critical electrical protection against radiation-produced charges. This is an important part of the mission since radiation in space can cause a build-up of electrical charges that could damage or even disable electronic equipment. The TSU provides a protective path to dissipate these charges and thereby mitigate damage to spacecraft electrical systems.

“It has been a great opportunity to provide this critical hardware on such an important mission,” said Chris Hodge, Moog Spacecraft Avionics General Manager.

“The launch of the GOES-19 satellite marks a significant advancement in our ability to monitor and predict weather patterns and environmental changes. The data it provides will be invaluable to meteorologists, climate scientists, and researchers worldwide,” said Calvanese. “The Entire GOES system will watch more than half the globe and will help improve the accuracy of weather forecasts, enhance our understanding of climate change, and contribute to the safety and efficiency of air travel, shipping, and disaster management.”