NASA has successfully launched the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a satellite with next-generation technology in order to improve the accuracy of U.S. weather forecasts within seven days.
The NOAA is the 1st in a series of four highly advanced polar-orbiting satellites. The Joint Polar Satellite Framework 1 (JPSS-1) lifted off on a Unified Dispatch Organization together Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Flying Corps Base, California, at 1:47 a.m. PST Saturday.
Stephen Volz, director of NOAA weather Satellite and Information Service said, “Launching JPSS-1 underscores NOAA’s commitment to putting the best possible satellites into orbit, giving our forecasters — and the public — greater confidence in weather forecasts up to seven days in advance, including the potential for severe, or impactful weather.”
“The data that it offers will improve weather forecastings, such as predicting a hurricane’s track and will help agencies involved with post-storm recovery by visualizing storm damage and the geographic extent of power outages.”
The satellite will provide observations of atmospheric temperature and moisture, clouds, sea-surface temperature, ocean color, sea ice cover, volcanic ash, and fire detection.
JPSS-1 has five instruments, each of which is fundamentally updated from the instruments on NOAA’s past polar-circling satellites. The more-nitty gritty perceptions from JPSS will enable forecasters to make more exact expectations. JPSS-1 information will likewise enhance acknowledgment of atmosphere designs that impact the climate, for example, El Nino and La Nina.
After 1 hour and 3 minutes of the launch, the solar arrays on JPSS-1 deployed and the spacecraft was operating on its own power. JPSS-1 will be renamed NOAA-20 when it reaches its final orbit. Following a three-month checkout and validation of its five advanced instruments, the satellite will become operational.
The JPSS program is a partnership between NOAA and NASA through which they will oversee the development, launch, testing, and operation all the satellites in the series. JPSS-1 launch management was provided by NASA’s Launch Services Program based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.