GOES-G was a weather satellite to be operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The satellite was designed to sense and monitor meteorological conditions from a geostationary orbit, intended to replace GOES-5 and provide continuous vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature and moisture. It was lost due to the launch failure of a Delta 3914 rocket on 3 May 1986.

Launch

Launch occurred on May 3, 1986 at 22:18 GMT, aboard Delta 178, the first NASA launch following the Challenger disaster. Seventy-one seconds into the flight, the first stage RS-27 engine shut down prematurely due to an electrical fault, and the rocket was destroyed by range safety.