[Satellite TODAY 09-02-10] The GOES-15 environmental satellite completed on-orbit testing and has been accepted into service by NASA and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), satellite manufacturer Boeing announced Sept. 1.
    The agencies accepted the satellite after it completed five months of on-orbit testing and demonstrated operational readiness of its subsystems, spacecraft instruments and communications services.  NASA said the spacecraft has started to deliver high-resolution photos from space, including the first visible and infrared images of Earth taken by its imager instrument, and the first image of the sun taken by its solar X-ray imager instrument.
    GOES-15 completes the fleet of satellites that Boeing was contracted to build to provide enhanced weather monitoring over North America and refresh NOAA’s operational fleet. The satellite was launched in March from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.