Boeing Hands Over GOES-O Satellite to NASA for Final Testing

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Aug. 5, 2009 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that it transferred Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite GOES-O to NASA on July 17, completing the company's third on-orbit satellite handover this year.

GOES-O, which has been renamed GOES-14, will undergo approximately five months of on-orbit testing before it is officially accepted for service by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Boeing's first two satellite deliveries of 2009 were the second Wideband Global SATCOM satellite for the U.S. Air Force and the Indostar II/Protostar II satellite for a commercial satellite operator. Both handovers took place on June 15.

"It was a busy month for GOES-14, beginning on July 8 with a successful maneuver into geosynchronous orbit and deployment of its solar array," said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems. "The handover of GOES-14 to NASA two days ahead of schedule demonstrates Boeing's continuing commitment to its customers."

The active GOES constellation currently consists of GOES-11, GOES-12 and GOES-13 (known as GOES-N before it reached orbit). Once accepted, GOES-14 will join the constellation in a storage orbital position of 105 degrees west longitude. Both GOES-13 and GOES-14 will operate as backup satellites to GOES-11 and GOES-12 and become the primary operational satellites over the next two years.