Topic: GOES-17 and GOES-15 Drift and Transition Plan

Date/Time Issued: November 9, 2018 1915 UTC

Product(s) or Data Impacted: All GOES-17 ABI, GLM, SUVI, SEISS, MAG, and EXIS products

Date/Time of Initial Impact: October 24, 2018 1345 UTC

Date/Time of Expected End: December 10, 2018 TBD UTC

Length of Event/Outage: See details below.

Details/Specifics of Change: This notification serves as a reminder for upcoming GOES-17 and GOES-15 drift and transition activities.

GOES-15 reached its new operating location of 128 degrees west on November 7, 2018. The GOES-15 GVAR M-Brelay through GOES-14 continues until M-BNovember 13, 2018 at 1500 UTC. At that time, GOES-15 GVAR relay through GOES-14 will end while the GOES-15 GVAR direct broadcast still continues.

GOES-17 will complete its drift on November 13, 2018 when it reaches its final operational location of 137.2 degrees west. Since drift began on October 24, 2018 at 1345 UTC, GRB, DCS, HRIT-EMWIN, and SARSAT have been disabled. Five of the six GOES-17 instruments (ABI, GLM, SUVI, SEISS, and EXIS) have been placed in safe or diagnostic modes. The MAG instrument has remained on during drift but will experience a data outage during spacecraft maneuvers on November 12 and 13, 2018.

Following two days of calibration activity after GOES-17 reaches 137.2 degrees west, all instruments will resume data distribution on November 15, 2018. At 1500 UTC, GOES-17 GRB, DCS, HRIT/EMWIN and SARSAT will be activated. GOES-17 will remain non-operational for an additional 3 weeks to allow for operational testing at the 137.2 degrees west position. M-BAfter successful test completion, the satellite will go into operations as the GOES-West satellite on December 10, 2018.

GOES-17 and GOES-15 will operate in tandem for six months from their respective locations of 137.2 degrees west and 128 degrees west, until a date is specified for disabling the GOES-15 GVAR. Additional information will be communicated as needed.

Key points:

• November 7, 2018: GOES-15 drift ended 1900 UTC

• November 13, 2018: GOES-17 drift ends and calibration activities begin

• GOES-15 GVAR relay through GOES-14 ends at 1500 UTC

• GOES-15 GVAR direct broadcast continues and satellite continues operating for six months at 128 degrees west

• November 15, 2018: GOES-17 resumes test operations but will remain non-operational for an additional 3 weeks of operational testing at 137.2 degrees west

• At 1500 UTC, GOES-17 GRB, DCS, HRIT/EMWIN and SARSAT are activated

• 1600 UTC: Handover DCS operations from GOES-15 to GOES-17.

• 1615 UTC: Disable GOES-15 DCPR transponder

• 1620 UTC: Enable GOES-17 modulation of HRIT/EMWIN broadcast

• GOES-17 products continue validation towards Provisional and Full Maturity levels

• No maneuvers / special operations during Thanksgiving holidays

• December 10, 2018: GOES-17 declared the Operational GOES-West satellite

• 1600 UTC GOES-15 LRIT broadcast disabled

• Simultaneous GOES-West (GOES-17) and GOES-15 operations M-B

Contact Information for Further Information: Kathryn Mozer at Kathryn.Mozer@noaa.gov

Web Site(s) for applicable information:

See https://www.goes-r.gov/users/transitionToOperations17.html for additional information.