[7] At launch, the satellite had a mass of 2,279 kilograms (5,024 lb), and an expected operational lifespan of five years, although it carried fuel for longer.

Following launch, it was positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 90° West, where it underwent on-orbit testing, and was then stored until it was needed to replace an operational satellite.

It served as an on-orbit spare until 2003, when it was called up to replace GOES-8, an older satellite which, while still operational, would have run out of fuel by the end of the year.

[7] The Solar X-ray Imager failed in April 2013 Since December 2007, GOES-12 has experienced three thruster leaks during orbital adjustment manoeuvres, two of which led to major outages.

The on-orbit-spare satellite, GOES-13, was brought online in case GOES-12 had to be replaced, and took over imagery from its storage location at 105° West while the fault was investigated.