WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

An Atlas IIA rocket is transported from Cape Canaveral Air Station after its arrival aboard a U.S. Air Force C-5c. The rocket is scheduled to launch the NASA GOES-L satellite from Launch Pad 36B on May 15. Once in orbit, the satellite will become GOES-11, joining GOES-8, GOES-9 and GOES-10 in space. The fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), GOES-L is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite will undergo checkout and then provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging operational satellites.