GOES-6 was built by Hughes Space and Communications, and was based on the HS-371 satellite bus.

At launch it had a mass of 660 kilograms (1,460 lb),[2] with an expected operational lifespan of around seven years.

After GOES-7 replaced GOES-5 in 1987, GOES-6 was returned to 135° West, where it remained for the rest of its operational life.

[4] Its imager had failed on 21 January 1989,[1] leaving GOES-7 as the only operational GOES satellite for over five years, until the launch of GOES-8 in 1994.

Following this failure, it remained operational as a relay satellite until it was retired to a graveyard orbit on 19 May 1992.