Weather Satellite Fails as Hurricane Season About to Begin

Launch of GOES-13 weather satellite from Cape Canaveral
on 2006 May 24. (image Source: Wikipedia.org )

Fri May 24, 2013 3:35pm EDT
 

* Spare satellite activated, but not moved
* Troubleshooting efforts under way for GOES-13
* Satellite helps track weather off U.S. Atlantic Coast

By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., May 24 (Reuters) - A key satellite positioned to track severe weather in the eastern United States has failed, just as the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season is about to start.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has activated a spare satellite, which will provide coverage of the East Coast, while it tries to fix the failed one, the agency said in a status report on its website on Friday.

"There is no estimate on return to operations at this time," NOAA said.

The Atlantic-Caribbean hurricane season starts on June 1 and lasts six months. NOAA warned on Thursday that this year's season may be "extremely active," with 13 to 20 tropical storms and seven to 11 of those strengthening into hurricanes.
 
More - Link >>> http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/24/space-hurricane-idUSL2N0E51EN20130524

Source: Reuters News Wire Service.

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