An Atlas 2A launched the GOES L weather satellite on May 3, 2000. At the completion of delivery, NASA turns the satellite over to NOAA and the satellite is renamed GOES 11. It will become operational when either GOES 8 or GOES 10 fails. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) wanted this new GOES satellite in orbit as a backup, prior to the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs June 1 through October 31.

This spacecraft was stored, awaiting launch in a processing facility, since its May 1999 launch date was delayed by the Delta 3 upper stage launch failure. The Atlas 2A's Centaur upper stage uses a Pratt & Whitney's RL-10 engine, similar to the one that failed on the Delta 3. A late 1999 launch opportunity was possible, but NASA chose instead to launch the Terra Earth observing satellite. A January launch was also considered, but a busy Atlas schedule left no slot for GOES L. Satellite controllers did not want to launch the satellite from mid-February through early-April due to eclipsing, which would require the satellite to rely on its onboard batteries, adding unnecessary risk.