GOES L, the fourth in the current generation of advanced, geostationary weather satellites, was launched May 3 aboard an Atlas 2A rocket. The launch was delayed about one year because of a stand-down to check the engine of the Centaur upper stage, after a similar engine failed on a Delta launch about a year ago. Today’s launch was the third success of the year for the Atlas and the rocket’s 49th consecutive successful flight.

The satellite will be designated GOES 11 when it arrives on geostationary orbit. It will be available in time for the opening of the East Coast hurricane season on June 1, because GOES 8, which views the East Coast from its position at 75 degreesW, is six years old, a year beyond its design life.

GOES 11 will be stored on orbit, ready when needed as a replacement for either GOES 8 or GOES 10, the three-year-old satellite that monitors weather in the western half of the country and the Western Pacific, including Hawaii, from its position at 135 degreesW.

“GOES 11 will ensure continuity of GOES data from two GOES, especially for the Atlantic hurricane season,” said Gerry Dittberner, the GOES program manager for the National Oceanic and Environmental Administration.