Article Posted on : - May 02, 2014

The Propulsion Module (left) and System Module (right) of the first GOES-R series weather satellite arrived in Lockheed Martin's cleanroom near Denver where they will now undergo integration and testing. Photo: Lockheed Martin.

DENVER (BNS): The two large modules of the first GOES-R series weather satellite spacecraft were delivered to a cleanroom at Lockheed Martin's Space Systems facility near Denver.

With the delivery of the system module and the propulsion module, the weather satellite will now undergo the important integration and testing phase so that it can be available in late 2015 for a launch in early 2016, according to a news release by Lockheed Martin.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R series (GOES-R) is NOAA's next-generation geostationary weather satellites.

The system module of the A2100-based satellite was built at Lockheed Martin's Newtown, Pennsylvania facility. It houses the three major electrical subsystems, Command and Data Handling, Communication, and Electrical Power.

The propulsion module recently underwent integration of its engines, fuel tanks and various propulsion components at the company's Mississippi Space and Technology Center on NASA's Stennis Space Center.