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SpaceUnited States

Electro-Optical/Infrared Weather System – Geostationary (EWS-G)

Military weather satellitesIn servicePending verification
SpaceUSA
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Fact cardConfidence · Source
System
TypeMilitary weather satellites
ProliferationOrigin country only
Satellites2EWS-G1 (ex-GOES-13) and EWS-G2 (ex-GOES-15); G1 reached end of planned life February 2024Med[1]
Program statusGeneral Atomics full-scale EWS satellite planned for 2026Med[1]
Dimensions and weight
Mass3,209 kg7,075 lb7,075 lb at launchMed[1]
Power2,300 WMed[1]
Orbit
Orbit regimeGEOMed[1]
Catalogued on orbit3Payloads with current element sets in the public catalog, active or not.High[2]
Active (CelesTrak)2Count in the CelesTrak active satellites list, which estimates operational status.Med[2]
Perigee35,772–35,779 kmActive satellites per CelesTrak, element epoch about 2026-11-08.High[2]
Apogee35,798–35,802 kmActive satellites per CelesTrak, element epoch about 2026-11-08.High[2]
Orbital period1,436.1–1,436.2 minActive satellites per CelesTrak, element epoch about 2026-11-08.High[2]
Inclination1.66–2.06 °Active satellites per CelesTrak, element epoch about 2026-11-08.High[2]
Catalogued satellites · 3[2]
NameNORADCOSPARPerigee kmApogee kmIncl. °Period minStatus
EWS-G1 (GOES 13)291552006-018A35,95236,4634.91457.6Inactive
EWS-G3 (GOES 14)354912009-033A35,77935,7982.061436.2Active
EWS-G2 (GOES 15)364112010-008A35,77235,8021.661436.1Active

Mean elements at epoch 2026-11-08 or later. Perigee and apogee are computed from mean motion and eccentricity and are approximate. Status follows the CelesTrak active list.

Summary

Former NOAA GOES satellites repositioned over the Indian Ocean for military weather coverage.

Draft entry. Values come from the cited public sources and are awaiting editor verification.
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Operators
United States
Sources
  1. Electro-Optical/Infrared Weather System-Geostationary (weapons and platforms entry), Air & Space Forces Magazine
    Tier 3 · checked 2026-11-08
  2. NORAD GP element sets (current data), CelesTrak (data from the U.S. Space Force 18th/19th Space Defense Squadron catalog)
    Published/updated 2026-11-08 · Tier 1 · checked 2026-11-08
Change log
  • 2026-11-08 Entry created from cited open sources
  • 2026-11-08 Orbital elements from CelesTrak GP data (epoch about 2026-11-08): 3 catalogued, 2 active.