Joint Polar Satellite System
From our global observations to your local weather forecast
The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) is the Nation's new generation polar-orbiting operational environmental satellite system. JPSS is a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its acquisition agent, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This interagency effort (JPSS) is the latest generation of U.S. polar-orbiting, non-geosynchronous environmental satellites.
JPSS was established in the President's Fiscal Year 2011 budget request (February 2010) as the civilian successor to the restructured National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). As the backbone of the global observing system, JPSS polar satellites circle the Earth from pole-to-pole and cross the equator about 14 times daily in the afternoon orbit—providing full global coverage twice a day.
Satellites in the JPSS constellation gather global measurements of atmospheric, terrestrial and oceanic conditions, including sea and land surface temperatures, vegetation, clouds, rainfall, snow and ice cover, fire locations and smoke plumes, atmospheric temperature, water vapor and ozone. JPSS delivers key observations for the Nation's essential products and services, including forecasting severe weather like hurricanes, tornadoes and blizzards days in advance, and assessing environmental hazards such as droughts, forest fires, poor air quality and harmful coastal waters. Further, JPSS will provide continuity of critical, global Earth observations— including our atmosphere, oceans and land through 2038.
NOAA, an agency within the Department of Commerce (DOC), works in partnership with NASA on all JPSS missions, ensuring a continuous series of global weather data and increased accurate weather prediction— securing a more "Weather-Ready Nation."
|
The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) instrument is the next generation cross-track microwave sounder providing atmospheric temperature and moisture for operational weather and climate applications. ATMS is a key instrument that collects microwave radiation from the Earth's atmosphere and surface all day and all night, even through clouds. ATMS currently flies on the Suomi NPP satellite mission and will fly on the JPSS-1, or NOAA-20 as it will be known once operational, JPSS-2, JPSS-3 and JPSS-4 satellite missions. Learn More |
|
|
The Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System instrument measures reflected sunlight and thermal radiation emitted by the Earth. CERES FM5 is currently flying on the Suomi NPP satellite mission, and CERES FM6 will fly on the JPSS-1 spacecraft, or NOAA-20 as it will be known once operational. Learn More |
|
|
The Radiation Budget Instrument measures reflected sunlight and thermal radiation emitted by the Earth. The Radiation Budget Instrument (RBI) is scheduled to fly on the JPSS-2, JPSS-3 and JPSS-4 satellite mission |
|
|
The Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) instrument is the first in a series of advanced operational sounders that provides more accurate, detailed atmospheric temperature and moisture observations for weather and climate applications. CrIS is a key instrument currently flying on the Suomi NPP satellite and represents a significant enhancement over NOAA's legacy infrared sounder—High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounders (HIRS). The sounding accuracy of CrIS is well beyond the capabilities of current NOAA operational sounders. CrIS will also fly on the JPSS-1, or NOAA-20 as it will be known once operational, JPSS-2, JPSS-3 and JPSS-4 satellite missions. Learn More |
|
|
The advanced Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) tracks the health of the ozone layer and measures the concentration of ozone in the Earth's atmosphere. OMPS consists of three spectrometers: a downward-looking nadir mapper, nadir profiler and limb profiler. The entire OMPS suite, OMPS-Nadir (OMPS-N) and OMPS-Limb (OMPS-L), currently fly on board the Suomi NPP spacecraft and are scheduled to fly on the JPSS-1, or NOAA-20 as it will be known once operational, JPSS-2, JPSS-3 and JPSS-4 satellite missions. Learn More |
|
|
The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument collects visible and infrared imagery and global observations of land, atmosphere, cryosphere and oceans. Currently flying on the Suomi NPP satellite mission, VIIRS generates many critical environmental products about snow and ice cover, clouds, fog, aerosols, fire, smoke plumes, dust, vegetation health, phytoplankton abundance and chlorophyll. VIIRS will also be on the JPSS-1, or NOAA-20 as it will be known once operational, JPSS-2, JPSS-3 and JPSS-4 satellite missions. Learn More |
|
| Suomi NPP | Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership |
| JPSS-1/NOAA 20 | Joint Polar Satellite System - 1 |
| JPSS-2 | Joint Polar Satellite System - 2 |
| JPSS-3 | Joint Polar Satellite System - 3 |
| JPSS-4 | Joint Polar Satellite System - 4 |
| TCTE | TSI Calibration Transfer Experiment |
The NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) was renamed to Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) in honor of Verner E. Suomi, University of Wisconsin meteorologist, widely recognized as the "Father of Satellite Meteorology."
JPSS-1, or NOAA-20 as it will be known once operational, is the second spacecraft within NOAA's next generation of polar-orbiting satellites. It is scheduled to launch in 2017. Capitalizing on the success of Suomi NPP, the JPSS-1 spacecraft boasts five similar instruments: (1) VIIRS, (2) CrIS, (3) ATMS, (4) OMPS-N, and (5) CERES-FM6. Instruments can also be called sensors or payloads. JPSS-1 will take advantage of the successful technologies developed through the Suomi NPP satellite. JPSS-1's design life is seven years, and it is scheduled to launch aboard a Delta-II Mission Launch Vehicle.
JPSS-2 will provide operational continuity of satellite-based observations and products for NOAA Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES) and Suomi NPP satellite and ground systems. The baseline plan for JPSS Ground System will be sustained to support JPSS-2, similar to JPSS-1. The JPSS-2 spacecraft will host the following instruments: (1) VIIRS, (2) CrIS, (3) ATMS, (4) OMPS-N, and (5) RBI.