NOAA’s GOES-8 Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite is launched from Cape Canaveral into a geosynchronous orbit now designated GOES-EAST to monitor weather patterns over the United States; its predecessor, GOES-7, takes up the GOES-WEST position. GOES-8 is a major design evolution in the GOES weather satellite series, incorporating new hardware, some of which proves to be less sturdy than is required for an extensive orbital tour of duty. GOES-8 will remain in the GOES-EAST orbit until it is retired from active weather-watching duty in 2003 and shut down in 2004.
