NOAA operates two primary geostationary satellites. GOES East is located at 75.2° W and provides most of the U.S. weather information. GOES West is located at 137.2°W over the Pacific Ocean. NOAA also maintains an on-orbit spare GOES satellite in the event of an anomaly or failure of GOES East or GOES West. The GOES-R series (GOES-R, S, T, and U) will extend the availability of the operational GOES satellite system through 2036.
GOES-R (now GOES-16) launched in November 2016 and is operational as GOES East. GOES-S (now GOES-17) launched in March 2018 and is operational as GOES West.
GOES-T is scheduled for launch in December 2021 and GOES-U is scheduled for launch in 2024.