New Weather Satellite in Place

SUITLAND, Md. —  The nation’s newest weather satellite went into service today, restoring protection lost nearly three years ago when its predecessor failed and beaming back pictures of Earth in time to start looking for tropical storms and hurricanes.

With GOES-7 operational, the United States has two working stationary weather satellites for the first time since July, 1984, when GOES-5 failed. The new satellite will be stationed over the eastern United States. After GOES-5 blinked off, the single remaining fixed-position weather satellite, GOES-6, had been moved back and forth--west in the winter to watch for Pacific storms and east in the summer to look for hurricanes.