A New Architecture for Low Earth Temperature and Moisture Soundings

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducted a study, titled the NOAA Satellite Observing System Architecture (NSOSA) study, to plan for the next generation of weather satellites. This study provided an opportunity to evaluate various concepts of providing the critical vertical soundings of moisture and temperature. The study formally concluded in the fall of 2017 and major results were presented at the AMS Symposium in 2018. This paper will provide an outline of some of the methodologies studied to enhance sounding capabilities of deploying a new constellation. Some of these strategies include:

1. Additional orbits
2. Multiple sounders on a single “sounder-only” platform
3. Smaller sounding instruments
4. Launch schedules to achieve required availability