Joint Polar Satellite System: The United States Next Generation Civilian Polar Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System

The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) is providing state-of–the art atmospheric, oceanographic, and environmental data, as the first of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) satellites while the second in the series, J-1, is being prepared for an early 2017 launch. The JPSS baseline consists of a suite of five instruments: advanced microwave and infrared sounders which are critical for weather forecasting; a leading-edge visible and infrared imager needed for environmental assessments such as snow/ice cover, droughts, volcanic ash, forest fires and surface temperature; ozone sensor primarily used for global monitoring of ozone and input to weather and climate models; and an earth radiation budget sensor for monitoring the Earth's energy budget. In addition, the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) is responsible for a free-flyer series carrying three instruments: a total solar irradiance monitor for monitoring the sun's contribution to the energy budget, an in situ data collection instrument and a search and rescue instrument. JPSS maintains important international relationships with European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). JPSS is implemented through a partnership between NOAA and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NOAA is responsible for overall funding; maintaining the high-level requirements; establishing international and interagency partnerships; developing the science and algorithms; and user engagement. NOAA also provides product data distribution and archiving of JPSS data. NASA's role is to serve as acquisition Center of Excellence, providing acquisition of instruments, spacecraft and the multi-mission ground system, and early mission implementation through turn-over to NOAA for operations.