Live at Cape: Delta IV Fueling Complete

A too-close cumulus cloud again has a Delta IV rocket in a "red" position for its planned 6:14 p.m. launch of a weather satellite, but it's expected to clear the area in time.

Workers have finished loading the rocket's common core booster and upper stage with more than 165,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

Combined with two solid rocket boosters, the vehicle will pack nearly 700,000 pounds of thrust, or as much power as 10 747 jumbo jets.

The rocket is carrying a next-generation satellite for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration called GOES-O, the second of three in a series.

The satellite will be launched to a geostationary orbit about 22,000 miles above Earth's western hemisphere and stored until needed within a year or two.

Once in action, it will help provide more accurate forecasting for severe weather including hurricanes.

The $499-million mission anticipates a 10-year life in orbit.

Launch managers are testing the systems that would allow the Air Force's Eastern Range to destroy the rocket if it veered off course.

The Eastern Range provides range safety and tracking services for vehicles launched from the Cape and Kennedy Space Center.