History of Satellite Meteorology - GOES

• GOES 1 (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) was launched on 16 October 1975.  

• Currently, there are three GOES satellites in orbit, GOES 10 (W), 11, and 12 (E).  All three are currently providing useable data.

• The first satellite dedicated to climate research was launched on 5 October 1984 from the Space Shuttle Challenger.

• The satellite is called the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS)