Miami ? The director of the National Hurricane Center went on leave Monday, government officials said, four days after many of the center’s employees called for his removal because of his comments about an aging weather satellite.

More than 20 of Bill Proenza’s nearly 50 staff members signed a statement last week urging federal officials to dismiss him. They said Proenza had undermined public confidence in the center by exaggerating the forecasting problems scientists would face if the satellite failed.

Proenza assumed the job in January, replacing longtime director Max Mayfield.