Delta 4 Returns From 17-Month Hiatus To Launch GOES N

摘要

The successful launch of a U.S. government weather satellite May 24 will put improved capabilities into the hands of fore-casters, and also marks the return to flight of Boeing Co.'s Delta 4 rocket after a 17-month hiatus. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) N is the first of a new series of U.S. weather sentinels and represents an incremental improvement over the two now overlooking the East and West coasts of the United States. It is expected to be pressed into service between 2008 and 2011 and until then will serve as an on-or-bit spare, said Steve Kirkner, GOES program manager at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).