NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) have been a mainstay of weather forecasts and environmental monitoring in the United States for more than 40 years. The next generation of GOES satellites, known as the GOES-R Series, will usher in a new era of continuous imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth’s Western Hemisphere and space weather monitoring to provide critical atmospheric, hydrologic, oceanic, climatic, solar, and space data. The first of the GOES-R Series satellites, GOES-16, was launched on November 19, 2016 and is now in a six month post-launch testing and product validation phase.  This paper will describe early observations of GOES-16 on-orbit performance and provide a brief overview of constellation management plans as NOAA prepares for the launch of the GOES-S satellite, currently scheduled for March 2018. The new instruments, improved spacecraft, and ground system will allow for a host of new environmental products and services, while improving most of the products and services that are currently provided. The new observations will contribute to dramatically improved weather, water, and space environmental services in the next decades, enhancing public safety and providing economic benefits to the U.S. and our international partners.