The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is acquiring the next-generation weather and environmental satellite system, the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) serves as the acquisition and development agent.

JPSS replaces the current Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) managed by NOAA in the 1330 local time of ascending node (LTAN) orbit. The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) managed by the DoD will be replaced by the Defense Weather Satellite System in the 1730 LTAN orbit.

The NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) will serve as a pathfinder for and provide continuity for the NASA Earth Observation System and the POES with its launch 25 October, 2011. NPP will operate in the 1330 LTAN orbit and is also being developed by NASA.

This poster will provide a top level status update of the program, as well as an overview of the JPSS system architecture. The space segment carries a suite of sensors that collect meteorological, oceanographic, and climatological observations of the earth and atmosphere. The system design allows centralized mission management and delivers high quality environmental products to military, civil and scientific users through a Command, Control, and Communication Segment (C3S). The data processing for NPP/JPSS is accomplished through an Interface Data Processing Segment (IDPS)/Field Terminal Segment (FTS) that processes NPP/JPSS satellite data to provide environmental data products to NOAA and DoD processing centers as well as remote terminal users. The IDPS will serve the DWSS Program as the Common Ground System, providing the ground processing for the JPSS and DWSS Satellites in the future.