The design heritage of the VIIRS sensor is reviewed and performance parameter comparisons of VIIRS, MODIS and AVHRR are presented. The spectral coverage and spatial performance of VIIRS, MODIS and AVHRR are compared. The VIIRS sensor Test Status is summarized. An overview of NPOESS/VIIRS support to AFWA cloud forecasting is presented. A summary of expected Environmental Data Product quality and latency is summarized.