Overview
From devastating tornadoes to crippling floods, from raging wildfires to frigid blizzards, severe weather can strike anywhere. NOAA-20 (formerly JPSS-1), launched in November 2017, is one of the most advanced environmental satellites ever created.
NOAA-20 is part of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), which produces satellite data and imagery that saves lives and protects property by increasing the timeliness and accuracy of weather event warnings and forecasts. The National Weather Service is feeding NOAA-20 data into models used for long-term weather forecasting, allowing scientists and forecasters to monitor and predict weather patterns with greater speed and accuracy. JPSS is also key for the continuity of long-term climate measurements, following the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership spacecraft, which we also built and integrated.
NOAA-20's suite of advanced remote sensing instruments includes:
- Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)
- Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS)
- Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS)
- The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS)
- The Clouds and the Earth Radiant Energy System (CERES)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) manages the JPSS satellites and instruments. NASA is the JPSS acquisition lead.
What We Did
Our job was to design and build the satellite bus and the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) instrument, integrate all instruments, and perform satellite-level testing and launch support, all under contract to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
The NOAA-20 spacecraft is part of our configurable platform line of spacecraft designed for cost-effective, remote sensing applications. The NOAA-20 spacecraft bus was the twelfth spacecraft built on our core architecture, which has more than 50 years of successful on-orbit operations.
Click here to learn more about the polar-orbiting satellites improving weather forecasting and climate monitoring.