Joint Polar Satellite System: the United States New Generation Civilian Polar Orbiting 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 is being prepared for a launch in 2017". 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 critical to data sparse areas such as Alaska and needed for environmental assessments such as snow/ice cover, droughts, volcanic ash, forest fires and surface temperature; an 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. The same suite of instruments that are on JPSS-1 will be on JPSS-2, 3 and 4. The JPSS-2 instruments are well into their assembly and test phases and are scheduled to be completed in 2018. The JPSS-2 spacecraft critical design review (CDR) is scheduled April 2017 with the launch in 2021. The sensors for the JPSS-3 and 4 spacecrafts have been approved to enter into their acquisition phases.  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.  JPSS also continues to maintain its important international relationships with European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).