The GOES-13 spacecraft returned to full operations on Thursday, October 18, 2012. The satellite had been taken out of service due to technical problems in late September. The trouble stemmed from a motor vibration, which caused a lubricant buildup that obstructed the spinning motion of the filter wheel in the sounder. A team of engineers from NOAA, Boeing and ITT suppressed the vibration, the filter wheel restarted and is running smoothly, with improved performance. They turned off the two instruments on September 23rd, and immediately configured GOES-15, the West Coast satellite, to provide additional coverage of the eastern United States and part of the Atlantic Ocean. Within a few hours, NOAA activated its on-orbit spare satellite, GOES-14, for full service. GOES-13 is NOAA's geostationary satellite, providing coverage of the U.S. East Coast, since April 14, 2010.
