GOES 4

 1980-074A

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The first of the Hughes-built GOES satellites, GOES D, became Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 04 on reaching orbit. The launch on 1980 Sep 9 at 2227 from Launch Complex 17A at Cape Canaveral used the more powerful Delta 3914 model. The third stage Star 37E motor separated at 2250 leaving GOES 4 in transfer orbit. On Sep 10, the solid TE-M-616 motor fired to place GOES 4 in a 34100 x 49550 km orbit. The eccentric orbit was a compromise due to use of the small Star 27 motor. After ejection of the solid motor, GOES 4 fired its thrusters to complete circularization of the orbit and by Sep 20 was on station at 98 deg W. It was delivered from NASA to NOAA on 1980 Oct 21, but trouble soon struck with the failure of the S-band communications antenna. On 1981 Jan 27 it was moved out of the 98W location and reached the operational GOES W location of 135W on Feb 26, replacing GOES 3. From Apr to Jun 1985 it drifted eastward to 10W, where it briefly took over data relay functions from ESA's Meteosat 1. It was later stored at 44W until 1988 Nov 9, when its orbit was raised 100 km to move it out of the geostationary ring.

GOES 4
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1980 Sep 9	2227	Launch by Delta 3914
		T+0:57 SRM 1-5 out
		T+1:04 SRM 6-9 on
		T+2:01 SRM 6-9 out
		T+2:07 SRM 6-9 sep
		T+3:44 MECO
		T+3:52 Stage 1 sep
		T+3:58 SES-1 4:17
		T+4:23 Fairing sep
	2235	T+8:15 SECO-1	157 x 208 x 28.73
	2247	T+20:14 SES-2 51s
	2248	T+21:05 SECO-2	164 x 2559 x 28.1
	2249	T+22:07 St 2 sep
	2249	T+22:49 TES 44s
	2250	T+23:33 TECO
	2251	T+24:42 Star 37E sep	920.54 166 x 49770 x 26.5
1980 Sep 10	0700?	Apo 1 over 52E
	2200?	Apo 2 over 174W
1980 Sep 11	1400?	Apo 3 over 52W
1980 Sep 11	1200	AKM burn 35s 1st apo?
		AKM ejected
1980 Sep 11			1759.96 34170 x 49646 x 0.3
1980 Sep 12	0500?	Apo 4 over 80E
	2000?	Apo 5 over 147W
1980 Sep 14			1504.28 34257 x 39964 x 0.3
1980 Sep 16		Sunshade cover ejected
1980 Sep 19			1438.79 35691 x 35987 x 0.3 GEO 90.9W+0.7W
1980 Sep 20		On station 98W
1980 Oct 3			1436.11 35773 x 35800 x 0.2 GEO 97.7W
1980 Oct 21		To NOAA
1980 Oct 21			98W
1980 Nov 18			1436.06 35772 x 35799 x 0.2 GEO 98.0W
1981 Jan 25			1436.06 35765 x 35806 x 0.0 GEO 97.3W
1981 Jan 27		mv out	98W
1981 Feb 26		Braking GOES W	135W
1981 Mar 3		mv in	1436.06 35775 x 35796 x 0.2 GEO 135.4W
1981 Apr 23	1630?	Stage 3 reenters	103 x 2490 x 26.5
1981 Jun 12			135W
1982 Jan 1			1436.06 35770 x 35801 x 0.0 GEO 134.8W
1982 Nov 25		Engineering tests
1983 Jan 9			1436.10 35727 x 35846 x 0.1 GEO 135.0W
1983 Apr 11			1436.16 35779 x 35796 x 0.5 GEO 136.8W
1983 May		Begin drift
1983 Jul 30			1436.13 35776 x 35797 x 0.8 GEO 143.5W+0.02W
1983 Sep 13			1435.89 35771 x 35793 x 0.8 GEO 142.5W+0.04E
1983 Dec 27		resume mv	1436.10 35776 x 35797 x 1.1 GEO 139.0W+0.05W
1984 Mar 25			1435.98 35774 x 35793 x 1.3 GEO 139.2W+0.02E
1985 Jan 4			1436.28 35785 x 35795 x 1.4 GEO 138.3W+0.05W
1985 Apr 11			1436.03 35776 x 35794 x 1.6 GEO 140.4W+0.00E
1985 Apr 16		mv out	1439.66 35791 x 35921 x 1.6 GEO 140.8W+2.0W
1985 Apr 19		mv up	1452.40 36093 x 36117 x 1.6
1985 Apr		Drift E	140W
1985 Jun 12		mv in	1436.15 35776 x 35798 x 1.8 GEO 9.9W
1985 Jun		Meteosat 1 backup	10W
1985 Jul			10W
1985 Jul 19		mv out	1438.01 35807 x 35841 x 1.9 GEO 10.5W+0.5W
1985 Aug 31		mv in	1436.14 35766 x 35808 x 2.0 GEO 43.3W
1986 Jan		Storage	43W
1987 Feb 13			1436.00 35765 x 35804 x 3.3 GEO 43.9W
1988 Nov 4			1436.31 35763 x 35818 x 5.0 GEO 45.5W+0.06W
1988 Nov 9		Orbit raise
1988 Nov 9			1441.09 35719 x 36050 x 4.8
1988 Nov 25		orbit raise	1451.17 35943 x 36219 x 5.0
1988 Dec 14			1451.13 35944 x 36216 x 5.0