 Suomi NPP weather observatory that it will replace. Depending on launch day factors, liftoff could be re-targeted for the exact center of the window for optimal performance — at 1:47:35.328 a.m. local time.
From a 512-mile orbit, tilted 98.7 degrees to the equator and traveling pole-to-pole, the JPSS 1 satellite will survey the entire globe twice per day with its sensor packages.
A single solar wing powers JPSS 1, giving the craft 2,750 watts of electricity at the beginning-of-life from a three-panel array that deploys to 32 feet wide in space.
JPSS will provide visible and infrared imagery, atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles, and land and ocean surface temperature observations, all of which are key ingredients for weather forecasting. In addition, the satellite will measure ozone levels and reflected solar radiation from the planet.
JPSS 1 is equipped with a suite of five instruments:
The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS)
– Atmospheric water vapor, temperature and pressure profiler
– Built by Northrop Grumman
The Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)
– Visible and infrared imagery and take sea-surface temperatures
– Built by Raytheon
The Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS)
– Hyperspectral sounder for atmospheric temperature and moisture
– Built by Harris Corporation
The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS)
– Monitor concentration of ozone in the Earth’s atmosphere
– Built by Ball Aerospace
The Clouds and the Earth Radiant Energy System (CERES)
– Reflected sunlight and Earth thermal radiation measurements
– Built by NASA’s Langley Research Center
JPSS 1 will replace the existing Suomi NPP spacecraft that launched in 2011 as a gapfiller between NOAA’s legacy weather satellite constellation and the new JPSS generation.
After approximately 90 days of post-launch commissioning, JPSS 1 should be ready to assume primary duties from S-NPP for NOAA’s National Weather Service. S-NPP will become a backup satellite, while JPSS 1 is rebranded NOAA 20.
Ball Aerospace built both satellites, and JPSS 1 represents an evolutionary copy of S-NPP, with some significant upgrades. The S-NPP spacecraft was built to a five-year lifespan requirement and JPSS 1 was enhanced to a seven-year design.
What’s more, high data rate instruments will use a more reliable data bus, the propulsion system’s thruster catalyst was changed, the power system uses lithium-ion batteries rather than nickel-hydrogen technology and more efficient solar cells and there’s a new Ka-band transmitter for sending stored data to NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellites and faster delivery to the ground.
The JPSS 1 satellite’s legacy can be traced to 1960 and the launch of TIROS, the first Television Infrared Observation Satellite. Upgrades and technology advancements have evolved the civilian weather observatories through the decades.
There have been 44 NOAA polar orbiters launched in the 57-year line using Delta, Atlas and Titan rockets.
The second JPSS satellite is under construction at Orbital ATK for its launch by an Atlas 5 in 2021.
Four sequential satellites — JPSS 1, 2, 3 and 4 — are planned under the Joint Polar Satellite System program, ensuring observations to 2038.