KSC-05pd-1118

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite GOES-N is moved toward the Payload Attach Fitting at left for mating. The fitting will enable the spacecraft to be mated to its launch vehicle, a Boeing Delta IV, with a 3-burn second-stage operation. Since its arrival on March 11, the satellite has been undergoing final testing by Boeing Satellite Systems of the imaging system, instrumentation, communications and power systems. The GOES spacecraft are sponsored by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. GOES-N is targeted to launch June 23 from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.