The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-P, or GOES-P, blasted off from a Florida base on Thursday, NASA announced.

The GOES-P was lifted off aboard a Delta IV rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, said NASA.

The satellite was launched at 6:57 p.m. EST (2357 GMT), 40 minutes later than planned, but still within the one hour launch window set by mission managers.

After reaching orbit, GOES-P will become GOES-15. The satellite will be used to monitor and predict weather, measure ocean temperatures, perform climate studies, relay communications and provide search-and-rescue support, according to NASA.

The GOES-P, launched for NASA by Boeing Launch Services, will be checked out by Boeing and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center before being turned over to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for operational use.

GOES-P is the latest in a series of meteorological satellites designed to watch for storm development and weather conditions on Earth.

The GOES-P has a space environment monitor, which will beam real-time data to Earth about energetic particles in space that pose a risk to satellites and astronauts and can disrupt navigation and communications systems, NASA said.