KSC-2009-1881

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the lifting mechanism that raised the GOES-O and Delta IV upper stage to vertical is lowered toward the ground. GOES–O is one of a series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites. The multi-mission GOES series N-P will be a vital contributor to weather, solar and space operations and science. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, are actively engaged in a cooperative program to expand the existing GOES system with the launch of the GOES N-P satellites. Launch of the GOES-O is targeted for no earlier than April 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann