Built by Lockheed Martin, the GOES 18 satellite (GOES-T) is the third of four spacecraft in NOAA’s latest generation of weather satellites positioned in geostationary orbit, extending a record of continuous weather observations since the first GOES satellite launched in 1975.

The GOES-R Series is a four Satellite Program, GOES-R/S/T/U, that will extend the Availability of the operational GOES Satellite System through 2036. The NOAA GOES-R Series of Satellites is designed to improve the Forecasts of Weather, Ocean, and Environment by providing faster and more detailed Data, real-time Images of Lightning, and advanced Monitoring of Solar Activities and Space Weather. GOES 18 can collect three Times more Data at four times Image Resolution, and scan the Planet five times faster than previous Probes.