spacetoday.net: Delta 2 launches weather satellite

Posted: Sat, May 21, 2005, 6:41 AM ET (1041 GMT)
Delta 2 launch of NOAA-N (Boeing)

After over a week's worth of delays, a Delta 2 successfully launched a polar-orbiting weather satellite Friday morning. The Boeing Delta 2 7320 lifted off at 6:22 am EDT (1022 GMT)from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and placed its payload, the NOAA-N satellite, into polar orbit 65 minutes later. The launch was scheduled for last week but was delayed several times because of weather and technical glitches, the last time after a valve problem raised concerns that the satellite had been contaminated with rocket fuel. Tests found no such contamination, clearing the way for Friday's launch. NOAA-N is the latest in a series of Polar Operational Environmental Satellites that complement other weather satellites in geosynchronous orbit, providing atmospheric sounding and other data.