ST. LOUIS -- Boeing has announced that GOES-13 (GOES-N), the first of three Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) that will support more accurate prediction and tracking of severe storms and other weather phenomena, has completed on-orbit testing and has been accepted by NASA.

An artist's impression shows the GOES-N spacecraft deployed in orbit. Credit: Boeing

"Boeing has four decades of Earth observation satellite technology leadership. We are building three advanced GOES weather satellites for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to monitor land, sea, atmosphere and space to create a network-enabled data collection system that tracks Earth's changing systems," said Stephen T. O'Neill, president of Boeing Satellite Systems International, Inc. "Spacecraft acceptance of GOES-N is the culmination of careful design and engineering, best-of-industry manufacturing and integration, and rigorous ground and on-orbit testing."

GOES-N, known today as "GOES 13," was launched on a Boeing Delta IV rocket on May 24. Successful spacecraft acceptance follows the on-schedule completion of a six-month, post-launch test program from the NOAA Satellite Operations Control Center in Suitland, Md. Boeing advised NASA and NOAA engineers throughout the program.

GOES-N will support NOAA and NASA scientists collecting and analyzing real-time environmental data as well as rescuers responding to calls for help through a communication subsystem that detects distress signals from land, sea and air.

Designed and manufactured at Boeing's satellite facility in El Segundo, Calif., a unit of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, the GOES-N series spacecraft are based on the popular three-axis Boeing 601 model satellite. Boeing satellites continue to work toward NOAA's vision of an informed society that uses a comprehensive understanding of the role of the oceans, coasts and atmosphere in the global ecosystem to make the best social and economic decisions.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $30.8 billion business. It provides network-centric system solutions to its global military, government, and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer; a foremost developer of advanced concepts and technologies; a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in sustainment solutions and launch services.