GOES Launch Pad Listing over the Decades
The above wiki image is credited to : “Mark Wade 2003 (text) NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team 2006-09-01 (photo) Borrow-188 and Soumya-8974 (compilation) – This file was derived from: CCAFS.jpg.
All the GOES launches have been from Cape Canaveral (FL), but the launch pads used have varied over the decades. Included in the table below are select other historical rocket launches.
| Rocket | Launch Date | Pad | Comments/Earth-viewing Instruments |
| Explorer I | 31 January 1958 | 26 | First American Satellite |
| Explorer 7X | 16 July 1959 | 5 | Launch failure – Carried Heat Budget sensor |
| Explorer 7 | 13 October 1959 | 5 | First monitoring Earth (Heat Budget) |
| ATS-1 | 7 December 1966 | 12 | Spin-Scan Cloud Camera |
| ATS-3 | 5 November 1967 | 12 | Multi-color Spin-Scan Cloud Camera |
| SMS-A (SMS-1) | 17 May 1974 | 17 | VISSR |
| SMS-B (SMS-2) | 6 February 1975 | 17 | |
| GOES-A (GOES-1) | 16 October 1975 | 17A | Also known as SMS-C |
| GOES-B (GOES-2) | 16 June 1977 | 17B | |
| GOES-C (GOES-3) | 16 June 1978 | 17B | |
| GOES-D (GOES-4) | 9 September 1980 | 17A | VAS |
| GOES-E (GOES-5) | 22 May 1981 | 17A | |
| GOES-F (GOES-6) | 28 April 1983 | 17A | |
| GOES-G (-) | 3 May 1986 | Launch failure | |
| GOES-H (GOES-7) | 26 February 1987 | 17A | |
| GOES-I (GOES-8) | 13 April 1994 | 36B | Imager and Sounder |
| GOES-J (GOES-9) | 23 May 1995 | 36B | |
| GOES-K (GOES-10) | 25 April 1997 | 36B | |
| GOES-L (GOES-11) | 3 May 2000 | 36A | |
| GOES-M (GOES-12) | 23 July 2001 | 36A | |
| GOES-N (GOES-13) | 24 May 2006 | 37B | |
| GOES-O (GOES-14) | 27 June 2009 | 37B | |
| GOES-P (GOES-15) | 4 March 2010 | 37B | |
| GOES-Q (-) | – | Spacecraft option not exercised | |
| GOES-R (GOES-16) | 19 November 2016 | 41 | ABI, GLM, SUVI, etc. |
| GOES-S (GOES-17) | 1 March 2018 | 41 | |
| GOES-T (GOES-18) | 1 March 2022 | 41 | |
| GOES-U (GOES-19) | 25 June 2024 | 39A | |
| GeoXO | TBD | TBD | TBD |
The instrument spectral response functions (SRF) for many of the list GEOs are posted on this UW/CIMSS calibration site.
H/T
Thanks to all who make the satellite imagery possible, NOAA, NASA, vendors, contractors and Cooperative Institute folks. T. Schmit works for NOAA/NESDIS/STAR and is stationed in Madison, WI.