NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U) mission. The two-hour launch window begins Tuesday, June 25 at 5:16 PM EDT for the satellite’s launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The GOES-U satellite, the latest addition to the GOES-R series, will help prepare for two types of weather: Earth and space weather. The GOES satellites play a critical role in providing continuous coverage of the Western Hemisphere, including monitoring tropical systems in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This continuous monitoring helps scientists and forecasters issue timely warnings and forecasts to help protect the one billion people who live and work in America. In addition, GOES-U features a new compact coronagraph that will image the outer layer of the Sun’s atmosphere to detect and characterize coronal mass ejections.
The media accreditation deadline for personal coverage of this launch has passed. NASA’s Media Reference Policy is available online. For questions about media accreditation, please email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.
NASA’s mission coverage is as follows (all times eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
Monday June 24
9:30 AM – NASA EDGE GOES-U prelaunch show on NASA+, the NASA app and the agency’s website.
11 a.m. – GOES-U science briefing with the following participants:
- Charles Webb, Deputy Director, Joint Agency Satellite Division, NASA
- Ken Graham, director of NOAA’s National Weather Service
- Dan Lindsey, Chief Scientist, GOES-R Program, NOAA
- Elsayed Talaat, director of NOAA’s Office of Space Weather Observations
- Chris Wood, NOAA Hurricane Hunter pilot
Coverage of the science press conference will be streamed live on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube and the agency’s website.
Media can ask questions both in person and by telephone. Limited room space will be available for in-person attendance. For the dial-in number and access code, media must contact the Kennedy newsroom at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov no later than one hour before the start of the event.
3:15 PM – NASA Social Panel at Kennedy with the following participants:
- Jade Zsiros, telemetry engineer, NASA’s Launch Services Program
- Ellen Ramirez, Deputy Division Chief, Mission Operations Division, National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service Office of Satellite and Product Operations, NOAA
- Dakota Smith, satellite analyst and communicator, NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere
- Allana Nepomuceno, senior manager, GOES-U Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations, Lockheed Martin
- Chris Reith, Program Manager, Advanced Baseline Imager, L3Harris Technologies
The panel will be streamed live on NASA Kennedy’s YouTube, X and Facebook accounts. Members of the public can ask questions online by posting to YouTube, X and Facebook live streams or using #AskNASA.
5:00 PM – Prelaunch press conference at Kennedy (following completion of the Launch Readiness Review), with the following participants:
- Denton Gibson, Launch Director, Launch Services Program, NASA
- Steve Volz, assistant administrator, NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service
- Pam Sullivan, Director, GOES-R Program, NOAA
- John Gagosian, director of the Joint Agency Satellite Division
- Julianna Scheiman, Director, NASA Science Missions, SpaceX
- Brian Cizek, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, US Space Force
Coverage of the prelaunch news conference will be streamed live on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube and the agency’s website.
Media can ask questions both in person and by telephone. Limited room space will be available for in-person attendance. For the dial-in number and access code, media must contact the Kennedy newsroom at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov no later than one hour before the start of the event.
Tuesday June 25
1:00 PM – Media one-on-one interviews with the following:
- Michael Morgan, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Forecasting, NOAA
- Michael Brennan, director of NOAA’s National Hurricane Center
- James Spann, senior scientist, Office of Space Weather Observations, NOAA
- John Gagosian, director of the Joint Agency Satellite Division
- Krizia Negron, Language Program Leader, National Weather Service Office of Science and Technology Integration, NOAA (bilingual, available for Spanish interviews)
- Dan Lindsey, Chief Scientist, GOES-R Program, NOAA
- Jagdeep Shergill, Program Director, GEO Weather, Lockheed Martin
- Chris Reith, Program Manager, Advanced Baseline Imager, L3Harris Technologies
4:15 p.m. – Coverage of NASA’s launch begins on NASA+, the agency’s website and other digital channels.
5:16 PM – A two-hour starting window opens
Audio coverage only
Only audio from the press conferences and launch coverage will be broadcast on the NASA “V” circuits, which can be accessed by calling 321-867-1220, -1240 or -7135. On launch day, “mission audio,” non-commentary launch countdown activities from NASA Television media, will be broadcast at 321-867-7135.
Live video coverage prior to launch
NASA will provide a live video feed from Launch Complex 39A on NASA Kennedy’s YouTube approximately 24 hours before the mission’s scheduled launch: https://youtube.com/kscnewsroom. The feed will be uninterrupted until the prelaunch broadcast begins on the NASA Television media channel.
NASA website launch coverage
Launch day mission coverage will be available on the agency’s website. Coverage will include livestreaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 3:00 PM on June 25, when the countdown milestones take place. On-demand streaming video and photos from the launch will be available shortly after launch.
For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow the countdown reports on the GOES blog.
To obtain information about the español in the Centro Espacial Kennedy or as a lawyer in the español, communication with Antonia Jaramillo: antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.govo Messod Bendayan:messod.c.bendayan@nasa.gov
Attend the launch virtually
The public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA’s Virtual Guest Program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications of related opportunities or changes, and a post-launch NASA Virtual Guest Passport stamp.
Look, get involved on social media
Let people know you’re following the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #ReadyToGOES and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:
X: @NASA, @NASA_LSP, @NASAKennedy, @NOAASatellites, @NASAGoddard
Facebook: NASA, NASA LSP, NASA Kennedy, NOAA Satellites, NASA Goddard
Instagram: NASA, NASA Kennedy, NOAA Satellites
For more information about the mission, please visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/goes-u
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Liz Vlock
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov
Peter Jacobs
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
301-286-0535
peter.jacobs@nasa.gov
Leejay Lockhart
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-747-8310
leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov