Tag: Weather Satellite

Every day and every night, polar-orbiting satellites circle the Earth many times, collecting data that feed weather forecasts and help us understand extreme weather and climate change. These advanced weather satellites make up NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System, which began monitoring the Earth in 2011 and will continue into the 2030s.

The Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) satellite is part of a long history of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) and NASA satellites that date back to 1960, when the first weather satellite, TIROS-1 launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida. JPSS-2 will be followed over the next decade by two more nearly identical satellites, JPSS-3 and JPSS-4, which will continue to provide data used by NOAA’s National Weather Service to forecast weather three to seven days in advance.

JPSS-2 is about the size of a sedan at 14 feet tall by 7 feet wide, and it weighs 5,567 pounds – about the weight of an adult male rhinoceros. It is powered by solar panels that harness the Sun’s energy and its length stretches to 35 feet when its solar array is deployed.

The satellite features four highly sophisticated instruments to measure weather and climate conditions on Earth: The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) sees through clouds like an X-ray and can view the structure of the atmosphere underneath those clouds and inside of storms; the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) measures in the infrared and visible part of the spectrum and can image hurricanes, floods, dust storms, cloud patterns, ocean color, and help locate and map wildfires; the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) works together with ATMS to take detailed measurements of the atmospheric conditions needed to generate extreme weather forecasts days in advance; and the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) consists of sensors to track the concentration of ozone in the atmosphere and measure sulfur dioxide and other aerosols emitted from volcanoes and particulates from wildfires.

As JPSS-2 makes its way to a polar Earth orbit, NASA’s rideshare technology demonstration, NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID), will descend back to Earth and land in the Pacific Ocean. With splashdown just over two hours after launch, LOFTID is unique in that all operations will occur within a few hours of launch. LOFTID will demonstrate how the inflatable aeroshell, or heat shield, can slow down and survive re-entry in conditions relevant to many potential applications, whether landing humans on Mars, new missions to Venus and Titan, or return of heavier payloads and samples from low-Earth orbit.

NASA’s LOFTID is managed by Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, with contributions from Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and multiple U.S. small businesses that contributed to the hardware. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for NASA oversight of launch operations.

We’re now less than thirty minutes away from the launch of JPSS-2 and LOFTID. Follow along here on the blog for live updates, and watch NASA TV or the agency’s website for the live launch broadcast.

Hello, and welcome to NASA’s live coverage of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) satellite mission! Tune in to NASA Television, the NASA app, or the agency’s website, or follow along here on the mission blog for a look at all of today’s major milestones.

JPSS-2 is the third satellite in the Joint Polar Satellite System series and is designed to scan the Earth as it orbits from the North to the South Pole, crossing the equator 14 times a day to provide full global coverage twice a day. Along with NASA’s secondary payload, Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) – a technology demonstration of a cross-cutting inflatable aeroshell, or heat shield, designed for atmospheric re-entry – JPSS-2 is set to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The 36-minute launch window begins at 1:25 a.m. PST.

Today’s launch is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, while LOFTID is managed by the agency’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Our coverage on the blog originates from the NASA News Center at Kennedy.

Together, NOAA and NASA partner in the development, launch, testing, and operation of all satellites in the JPSS series. NASA develops and builds the instruments, spacecraft, and ground system, in addition to launching the satellites on behalf of NOAA, which operates the satellites.

Here’s a look at some of today’s ascent milestones. All times are approximate:

LAUNCH AND SPACECRAFT DEPLOYMENT
All Times Approximate
Hr/Min/Sec    Event
00:01:18         Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:04:02         Booster engine cutoff (BECO)
00:04:08         Stages I and II separate
00:04:18         Stage II main engine startup (MES1)
00:04:26         Payload fairing jettison
00:17:22         Stage II first engine cutoff – direct injection burn (MECO1)
00:28:22         JPSS-2 separation
00:45:41         Stage II second engine startup (MES2)
00:46:24         Stage II second engine cutoff (MECO2)
01:05:34         Stage III third engine startup (MES3)
01:06:00         Stage III third engine cutoff (MECO3)
01:16:31         LOFTID re-entry vehicle separation
01:43:06         End of mission
02:05:00        LOFTID splashdown and demonstration complete

NASA is targeting 1:25 a.m. PST, tomorrow, Nov. 10, for launch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) satellite. The launch window is 36 minutes. JPSS-2, with NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) as a secondary payload, will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Weather officials with the U.S. Space Force Space Launch Delta 30 are predicting a greater than 90% chance of favorable weather conditions for tomorrow’s launch, with ground winds serving as the primary weather concern.

JPSS-2 is the third satellite in the Joint Polar Satellite System series and is designed to scan the Earth as it orbits from the North to the South Pole, crossing the equator 14 times a day to provide full global coverage twice a day. Operating from about 512 miles above Earth, JPSS-2 is expected to capture data to improve weather forecasts, helping scientists predict and prepare for extreme weather events and climate change.

LOFTID is a technology demonstration of a cross-cutting inflatable aeroshell, or heat shield, designed for atmospheric re-entry. The mission is dedicated to the memory of Bernard Kutter, a manager of advanced programs at ULA who championed lower-cost access to space and technologies to make that a reality. The technology demonstrated by LOFTID could be used for crewed and large robotic missions to Mars.

Together, NASA and NOAA partner in the development, launch, testing, and operation of all satellites in the JPSS series. NASA develops and builds the instruments, spacecraft, and ground system, in addition to launching the satellites on behalf of NOAA, which operates the satellites.

NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for managing the launch service.

Join us tonight at 11 p.m. EST (8 p.m. PST) live on NASA TV and YouTube for the JPSS-2 and LOFTID Tower Rollback Show hosted by NASA Edge.

Then beginning at 3:45 a.m. EST (12:45 a.m. PST) on Nov.10, join us for live coverage on NASA TV or the agency’s website for the launch broadcast and follow along with us here on the blog as well.

Teams from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and United Launch Alliance (ULA) have completed the Delta Launch Readiness Review for the Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) satellite mission at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The review covered preparations for the second launch attempt for the JPSS-2 satellite and NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) and focused on the technical readiness for launch. Mission teams were “go” for a second launch attempt, targeted for 1:25 a.m. PST, Thursday, Nov. 10, from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex-3.

A science briefing will be held today at 5:30 p.m. EST (2:30 p.m. PST). Tune in to listen live on the agency’s website. Participants include:

• Jordan Gerth, Meteorologist and Satellite Scientist, NOAA’s National Weather Service
• Jim Gleason, Senior Project Scientist, Joint Polar Satellite System, NASA
• Satya Kalluri, JPSS Program Scientist, Joint Polar Satellite System Program, NOAA
• Heather Kilcoyne, JPSS Ground Project Manager, Joint Polar Satellite System, NOAA
• Joe Del Corso, LOFTID project manager, NASA’s Langley Research Center

Meteorologists with the U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 30 Weather Squadron predict a 90% percent chance of favorable weather for launch on Thursday morning.

Launch coverage will begin at 3:45 a.m. EST (12:45 a.m. PST) on Nov. 10. You can follow the countdown milestones here on the blog and on NASA Television.

NASA and United Launch Alliance are now targeting 1:25 a.m. PST, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, for the launch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) mission and NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) technology demonstration from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Both JPSS-2 and LOFTID remain healthy and ready for launch. A faulty battery on the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas V rocket delayed the launch. Technicians have activated a replacement and will exchange and retest the battery, clearing the way for the launch to proceed.

The Joint Polar Satellite System is the latest generation of NOAA’s polar-orbiting environmental satellites. JPSS is a collaborative program between NOAA and NASA, and through its series of five satellites, JPSS will provide critical observations well into the 2030s. JPSS currently includes two satellites – the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP), and NOAA-20. NOAA’S JPSS-2, the third satellite in the Joint Polar Satellite System series will capture data to inform weather forecasts, helping scientists predict and prepare for extreme weather events. Upon reaching orbit, NOAA will rename the satellite to NOAA-21.

Launching as a secondary payload with the satellite is LOFTID, which will demonstrate inflatable heat shield technology for atmospheric entry and re-entry. The technology could be used for crewed and large robotic missions to destinations such as Mars, Venus, Titan, as well as returning heavier payloads to Earth. LOFTID is set to splash down about 500 miles off the coast of Hawaii, where a team will be standing by on a ship to recover LOFTID.

JPSS-2 and LOFTID will be NASA’s Launch Services Program’s 23rd flight on Atlas V.

Stay connected with the mission on social media, and let people know you’re following it on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtags #JPSS2 and #LOFTID.