• The ATS program was initiated in 1966 to demonstrate the feasibility and capability of placing a satellite in geostationary (geosynchronous) orbit over a fixed location on the Earth's surface. The ATS spacecraft were actually designed to be communications satellites, but excess space was available for the inclusion of meteorological sensors to observe the Earth's cloud cover and weather patterns from space. Although the program was experimental, this first geostationary system demonstrated the capability to acquire information which meteorologists could use imMediately in an operational setting. The ATS I-V configuration served as a first generation of what was to become the 'GOES' satellite series (an ATS VI was launched, but the configuration and mission of this satellite was vastly different than the ATS I-V series, therefore it is not included in this guide):

I

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VI