NPOESS Space Environmental Monitoring

The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) is the next generation weather satellite. It will replace the current Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and the Polar Operational Environment Satellites (POES) in the latter part of this decade. The Space Environment Sensor Suite (SESS) is a major payload currently under development within the NPOESS Integrated Program Office. SESS is the set of instruments needed to produce 11 of the 13 space Environmental Data Records (EDRs) specified in the NPOESS Integrated Operational Requirements Document (IORD-II). The Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) and the NOAA Space Environment Center (SEC) will be the primary operational users for the NPOESS SESS data. The SESS EDRs will be used to forecast the global structures of the ionosphere and thermosphere as well as to monitor the flux of energetic charged particles precipitating into the upper atmosphere at auroral and polar latitudes. SESS data will also be used to create specific space environmental impact products needed by the military and civilian communities. An optimized complement of SESS sensors will be included in each of the 3 NPOESS orbit planes thereby providing excellent global refresh and coverage. An important aspect of the NPOESS architecture is a responsive telemetry system that makes the SESS data particularly relevant and timely for space weather applications. This poster will provide an overview of the NPOESS space EDRs and describe how the SESS data will be used for space weather applications and for producing specific space environmental impact products.