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    GOES-R Flying On Its Own!

    Spacecraft sep! Cheers and applause erupt from the launch teams as the GOES-R spacecraft separates from the Centaur upper stage to fly freely for the first time! Next up, solar array deployment. GOES-R is in a transfer orbit of 19,000 miles by 4,400 miles. It will circularize that orbit to more than 22,000 miles above Earth to be in a position to watch the western hemisphere with the most advanced instruments of their kind.

    Centaur Engine Shutdown

    The RL10 engine on the Centaur upper stage shut down as planned. The Centaur is positioning the GOES-R satellite for separation shortly.

    Third Centaur Burn Underway

    The Centaur engine ignited on schedule and is pushing the GOES-R spacecraft into its proper transfer orbit. The burn will last about a minute-and-a-half.

    Centaur Making Maneuvers for Final Firing

    The Centaur stage is firing its small thrusters to position itself and its GOES-R payload into the proper position to fire its main engine for the final time during this mission. Everything remains on schedule for the flight.

    Seven Minutes to Centaur Ignition

    The GOES-R satellite and Centaur upper stage continue to perform well tonight. Launch controllers are standing by for the final burn of the Centaur upper stage engine at 10:09 p.m. EST.

    Welcome Aboard! New Arrivals Make Six Expedition 50 Crew Members

    Three new crew members are aboard the International Space Station. The hatches on the space station and Soyuz MS-03 opened at 7:40 p.m. EST, marking the arrival to the orbiting laboratory for NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Oleg Novitskiy of the Russian space agency Roscosmos and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency). Along with Expedition …

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    One Hour Before Final Centaur Burn

    GOES-R Liftoff

    Two hours and 29 minutes after lifting off from Florida, the GOES-R spacecraft and Centaur upper stage are performing as planned as they orbit high above Earth. There is less than one hour to go in this final coast phase before the Centaur ignites its RL10 engine one more time to place the GOES-R satellite …

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    Al Roker Talks Launch

    Al Roker Interview with NASA for GOES-R Mission

    Noted television meteorologist Al Roker attended today's launch of the GOES-R spacecraft and talked with NASA TV earlier. His interest in the mission, he said, comes from the fact that the satellite will give forecasters much more information to help them with their predictions. GOES-R carries sensors that are much more advanced than previous GOES …

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    Video of Tonight’s Launch

    GOESR-LAUNCH-3

    As the Centaur upper stage and GOES-R spacecraft continue tonight's coast phase, take a look at liftoff earlier from Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida. Launch occurred at 6:42 p.m. EST.

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