GOES 8

Satellite family: GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite)

The GOES program is a key element in US National Weather Service (NWS) operations. GOES weather imagery and quantitative sounding data represent a continuous and reliable stream of environmental information used to support weather forecasting, severe storm tracking, and meteorological research.

NOAA policy calls for the operation of two meteorological satellites in geostationary orbit. Each of these spacecraft views almost a third of the Earth's surface: one monitors North and South America and most of the Atlantic Ocean, the other North America and the Pacific Ocean basin.