NASA Sets Coverage For Goes-P Weather Satellite Launch March 2

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Geostationary Operational Environmental
Satellite-P, or GOES-P, is scheduled for launch aboard a Delta IV
rocket on Tuesday, March 2, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in
Florida. The one-hour launch window extends from 6:19 to 7:19 p.m.
EST.

GOES-P will provide expanded capability for space and solar
environment-monitoring instruments. The satellite will enhance
forecasts and warnings for solar disturbances. GOES-P data will help
protect billions of dollars in investments by the government and
private sector for assets on the ground and in space.

GOES-P will feature a highly stable pointing platform that will
improve the performance of its Imager and Sounder, instruments used
for creating daily weather-prediction models and hurricane
forecasting. Data from GOES-P will be valuable for the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Ocean Service,
which provides oceanographic circulation models and forecasts for
U.S. coastal communities.

As with all of NOAA's geostationary and polar-orbiting weather
satellites, GOES-P will be able to relay distress signals detected
from emergency locator beacons on the ground and at sea in support of
the international search and rescue system. NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., was responsible for designing and
developing the spacecraft and its instruments for NOAA.

GOES-P is the last of three in the series of geostationary weather and
environmental satellites built for NASA by Boeing Space and
Intelligence Systems. The spacecraft will be checked out by Goddard
and Boeing before being turned over to NOAA for operational use.

NASA will provide television, Internet and photo coverage of the
launch starting with a prelaunch news conference at 4 p.m. on Monday,
March 1, at NASA's Kennedy Space Centers Press Site.

Participating in the March 1 prelaunch news conference will be:
- Steve Kirkner, NOAA GOES Program manager, NOAA Satellite and
Information Service
- Kris Walsh, Commercial Programs manager, United Launch Alliance
- Hieu Lam, Delta Commercial Program manager, Boeing Launch
Services
- Andre Dress, GOES Deputy Project manager, NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center
- Charlie Maloney, GOES N-P Program manager, Boeing Space and
Intelligence Systems
- Bart Hagemeyer, meteorologist in charge, NOAA National Weather
Service forecast office, Melbourne, Fla.
- Joel Tumbiolo, Delta IV launch weather officer, 45th Weather
Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

NASA Television will carry the prelaunch news conference and launch
day coverage live. On March 2 NASA TV countdown coverage will begin
at 4 p.m., and will conclude 30 minutes after liftoff. For NASA TV
downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Audio only of the prelaunch news conference and the launch coverage
will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits which may be accessed by
dialing 321-867-1220, - 1240, -1260 and -7135. On launch day,
"Mission Audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without
NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting
at noon. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio
frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County.

Live countdown coverage on NASA's launch blog begins at 4 p.m. on
March 2. Coverage features real-time updates of countdown milestones,
as well as streaming video and a podcast of launch. To access these
features, visit NASA's GOES-P mission Web site at:

http://www.nasa.gov/goes-p

Reporters attending the NASA prelaunch media briefing who also plan to
cover launch may request accreditation by going to:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

The Kennedy Space Center Badging Office on SR-405 is open Monday
through Friday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. For those needing credentials,
more information about accreditation is available by contacting
Laurel Lichtenberger at 321-867-4036.

For more information about the GOES-P launch, contact the NASA News
Center at Kennedy at 321-867-2468 or visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

Source: NASA