The U.S. National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) is being developed to monitor global environmental conditions, and collect and disseminate data related to: weather, atmosphere, oceans, land and near-space environment. The NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) mission is a joint effort involving National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the NPOESS Integrated Program Office (IPO). The NPP mission is currently scheduled to launch in 2010. NPP has two objectives, to extend the measurement trends begun by the NASA EOS missions and to validate four of the primary NPOESS sensors. Two sensors, the Crosstrack Infrared Sounder (CrIS) and the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) provide the input data to the Crosstrack Infrared Microwave Sensor Suite (CrIMSS) sounder profile retrieval algorithm. The CrIMSS on NPP will provide the atmospheric vertical temperature and moisture profiles, two of the NPOESS key Environmental Data Records (EDRs). This talk will detail the calibration and validation programs being executed for the CrIS sensor. The discussion will include prelaunch testing, with a performance summary, validation planning activities and exercises, and the post launch validation plan. The CrIS and ATMS sensors are anticipated to have completed their prelaunch testing campaigns, and initial sensor performance data will be provided to the community. The launch ready calibration/validation plan is scheduled to be ready for release in November 2008 and a summary of the plan will also be briefed.