GOES-12 environmental satellite. Artwork showing the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-12. This satellite carries instruments to monitor weather conditions which aid the forecasting of hurricanes and severe storms. It also has a Solar X-ray Imager to detect storms on the surface of the Sun, which can influence the weather on Earth. The satellite has been in geostationary orbit 36,000 kilometres above the Equator since its launch on 22nd July 2001 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.