Weather Satellite Launch Delayed Over Faulty Switch
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said Friday it is delaying the launch of a weather satellite for five days because of a problem with a spacecraft switch.
The launch, which had been set for Feb. 19, was rescheduled for Feb. 24.
A statement said the delay is necessary because of the failure of a switch that selects between a pair of satellite transmitters that send image data to the spacecraft’s central processing facility on the ground.
If the switch failed in orbit, ground controllers could not change to a backup transmitter. The faulty device will be replaced.
The spacecraft, called GOES, for geostationary operational environmental satellite, is intended to track hurricanes and other weather systems in the Caribbean and Atlantic.
The GOES system was designed for two satellites but only one is now fully operational in orbit.
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