NOAA Polar Program Plans for Continuous Satellite Coverage

The NOAA Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) system has provided continuous observations of the earth since 1960. This highly successful program continues today with a two satellite constellation providing an uninterrupted flow of global environmental information in support of operational requirements for global soundings and imagery; global and regional surface and hydrological observations; and other specialized data collection services. Currently we are operating NOAA-14 as the primary afternoon satellite and NOAA-15 as the primary morning satellite. NOAA-15 launch in May 1998, is the first of five satellites representing our newest generation of satellites. These will carry new microwave sounding instruments (AMSU-A and AMSU-B) and improved versions of our imager (AVHRR/3) and infrared sounder (HIRS/3). In accordance with our recently signed agreement with EUMETSAT for cooperation in an initial Joint Polar System, we will fly NOAA instruments on the METOP satellites, which will serve as our morning satellite beginning in 2003. Finally, NOAA and EUMETSAT, in cooperation with the US Department of Defense, are planning for a three satellite polar constellation which will meet US civil and national security requirements for remotely sensed environmental data.