Weather Satellite Third to Fail in Year

A weather satellite has failed--the third within a year--leaving the nation without a 22,300-mile-high satellite to watch storms develop near Alaska and Hawaii, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday.

Two 600-mile-high satellites that provide cloud pictures of the area every six hours are still functioning. The higher satellites provide pictures every half hour, which is considered important for tracking storms.

NOAA has one remaining satellite operating in the 22,300-mile-high orbit where a satellite’s orbital speed matches Earth’s rotation, keeping the spacecraft over one area of the globe. That satellite, GOES 6, is stationed so it can observe the mainland United States and nearby waters.