GOES-P underwent a battery of tests that examined and recorded how the spacecraft's sensitive instruments will operate in the extreme temperatures of deep space. The thermal vacuum chamber test temperatures ranged from minus 292 degrees Fahrenheit to 220 degrees Fahrenheit.

The thermal vacuum testing followed a series of vibration and acoustic tests that verified the satellite's system hardiness. Together, the tests are intended to validate the quality of workmanship and survivability during launch and in orbit.

GOES-P remains on schedule for completion later this year and could be launched as early as 2008. GOES-O is complete and in storage awaiting launch in 2007. Boeing successfully launched GOES-N, now operating as GOES-13, on a Boeing Delta IV vehicle on May 24, 2006.

"Mission assurance is our top priority, and the thermal vacuum tests indicate that GOES-P will have the same success that its on-orbit sister satellite, GOES-13, is experiencing," said Stephen T. O'Neill, president of Boeing Satellite Systems International, Inc.

"Together with GOES-13 and GOES-O, GOES-P is part of a new constellation of earth observation satellites for NASA and NOAA that will improve weather prediction accuracy in the years to come."

The new GOES satellites will provide more accurate prediction and tracking of severe storms and other weather phenomena, resulting in earlier and more precise warnings to the public.

The new satellites also will support NOAA and NASA scientists by providing steadfast atmospheric surveillance of severe weather events such as tornadoes, flash floods, hail storms and hurricanes. When these conditions develop, the GOES satellites can monitor storm development and track their movements.

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