Delta 4 launches GOES-N weather satellite
5/24/06 ~ 6:11pm

Homepage          Launch Photos

A 21-story Boeing Delta 4 rocket, the fifth to fly since 2002, sends the next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 'N', or GOES-N weather satellite into space for NASA and NOAA. The $475 million spacecraft will provide the latest technology in every day forecasting and hurricane prediction.


GOES-N cleanroom gallery
                     1st Launch Attempt (Aug 05)
A fireball erupts around the base of the vehicle as excess hydrogen is ignited at main engine start:
More photos and crops:
From the press site, 2.7 miles away:
Of the five remote pad cameras I set up, one was ruined due to a wind sock I neglected to see when setting up: