As with all large engineering projects, every weather satellite mission is a whole bunch of disasters waiting to happen.

When one considers the precision required and all that can go wrong, it is just amazing that any satellite manages to make it to orbit intact!  Prior to launch, fuelling poses a major hazard. During lift-off, the spacecraft must withstand severe vibrations and acceleration. The delicate mechanical instruments on weather satellites must be designed to somehow survive it.

Once the spacecraft leaves the earth's atmosphere, final stage rocket motors fire to insert it into orbit. This is a critical and unforgiving phase; if it fails, the satellite may end up in a useless orbit, or else it may tumble out of control and eventually burn up on re-entry or drift out into space.

Artist's impression of the separation of the S1-B stage on a Saturn V rocket.

Occasionally, a satellite ends up in a (typically lower than intended) useless orbit that can be corrected using on-board fuel. The limited on-board fuel is normally reserved for regular attitude adjustments that are necessary during the operational life of the satellite, and burning a chunk of it to lift the satellite into its intended orbit has the very expensive side-effect of shortening its operational life.

Once in orbit, the satellite deploys its folded solar panels before its batteries run out. It also deploys its larger antennas. And so, the satellite begins its useful life in space. A radio link is established, all on-board instruments are tested to make sure that all is well, and the satellite is ready to serve, with fingers crossed it doesn't hit drifting space junk...

In January 2001, a Titan-II rocket mission, carrying the Defence Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F16 payload, was aborted prior to launch after malfunctions were detected in the satellite's Inertial Measurement Unit.

Had they gone undetected, the malfunctions could have doomed the $430 million mission. The payload was eventually launched successfully in October 2003.

In August 1993, the ill-fated $77 million NOAA-13 satellite, which had successfully made it to orbit, starting showing signs of malaise and died soon after. Telemetry readings showed ominous lower voltages and higher temperatures on the batteries.

An inquiry concluded that an excessively long screw penetrated insulation, causing a short-circuit and preventing the solar panels from powering the spacecraft and charging the batteries.

In April 1994, the long-awaited FY-2A GEO meteorological spacecraft was undergoing final check-out before being integrated to its CZ-3 launch vehicle, when a fire and explosion erupted due to the upper-stage solid rocket motor failure, destroying the vehicle, killing two technical staff and injuring at least 20 others. A second FY-2A satellite was ready in 1996 and launched successfully in June, 1997.

In September 2003, a $239 million NOAA-N' satellite, originally planned for launch in 2008, was dropped onto a concrete floor at a Lockheed Martin facility, with repair costs estimated at $135 million.

The reason: 24 missing screws that were supposed to be securing its base to the tilt-over cart.

In May 1986, a Delta 3914 rocket (Flight 178) suffered a mid-flight main engine shutdown, leading to the loss of the GOES-G payload, a Geostationary Operations Environmental Satellite.

In April 1977, a Delta 2914 rocket (Flight 130) failed to deliver its ESA GOES-1 payload to the intended equatorial geostationary orbit, after premature separation of the second and third stages led to failure of Stage 3 spin up.

Consequently, it was decided to place the spacecraft in a lower orbit, serving the International Magnetospheric Study (IMS).