RAL Space contribution to next generation Solar Telescope goes in to orbit

November 22 2016

STFC RAL Space are celebrating the successful launch of a next generation geostationary weather satellite that will provide more accurate forecasts and warnings of major space weather events.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R Series (GOES-R) was launched from Cape Canaveral at 23:42 on 19th November. The satellite contains a solar telescope that was part built by the team at RAL Space in Oxfordshire.

There are six primary instruments on board GOES-R, one of these instruments, the Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUVI) is a telescope that monitors the sun in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength range. STFC RAL Space provided the camera electronics on SUVI, working closely with e2v technologies ltd who provided the detectors. Lockheed Martin were the lead on SUVI and worked with RAL Space for 7 years to bring the project to fruition.