U.S. launches new weather satellite

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., June 28 (UPI) -- NASA says a satellite it launched in Florida this weekend will bolster weather-forecasting capabilities and monitor changes in the environment.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, known as GOES-O, lifted off Saturday without a hitch from Cape Canaveral aboard a Delta IV rocket and will be placed in its final orbit July 7.

The space agency said in a written statement that all systems were functioning properly.

GOES-O is the second in the GOES-N series of environmental weather satellites. Its designation will change to GOES 14 once it is operational.

CBS News said the satellite's advanced imaging will help weather forecasters track small-scale weather phenomenon, including storms capable of producing tornadoes.

"The increased resolution and accuracy that these these satellites will present will help us pinpoint what's happening, and if we know what's happening, we can do a better job of making short-term and long-term forecasts of where it's going to be," said Joe Schaefer, director of the U.S. Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla.