The launch of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-N (GOES-N) has been delayed until at least early October after the most recent attempt was scrubbed due to technical issues, Boeing Co. said. The Aug. 16 attempt was halted when the system monitoring battery voltage on the second stage of the Boeing Delta 4 launch vehicle set off an alarm.

GOES-N had been scheduled for launch as early as May but has been delayed multiple times. Boeing now must replace the batteries for the vehicle’s self-destruct system, which have exceeded their test life. This operation cannot be completed in time to launch GOES-N before the beginning of its orbital eclipse period, during which there will not be enough sunlight available to the spacecraft’s solar arrays during on-orbit checkout.

GOES-N will provide more accurate prediction and tracking of severe storms and other weather phenomena, resulting in earlier and more precise warnings to the public.