NOAA-12

NOAA-12
NamesNOAA-D
Mission typeWeather
OperatorNOAA
COSPAR ID1991-032A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.21263
Mission duration2 years (planned)
16 years (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftTIROS
BusTIROS-N[1]
ManufacturerRCA Astro Electronics
Launch mass1,418 kg (3,126 lb) [2]
Dry mass735 kg (1,620 lb)
DimensionsSpacecraft: 3.71 m × 1.88 m (12.2 ft × 6.2 ft)
Solar array: 2.37 m × 4.91 m (7 ft 9 in × 16 ft 1 in)
Start of mission
Launch date14 May 1991, 15:52:03 UTC[3]
RocketAtlas-E Star-37S-ISS
(Atlas S/N 50E)
Launch siteVandenberg, SLC-3W
ContractorConvair
End of mission
DisposalDecommissioned
Last contact10 August 2007 [4]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[5]
RegimeSun-synchronous orbit
Perigee altitude821 km (510 mi)
Apogee altitude841 km (523 mi)
Inclination98.70°
Period101.3 minutes
← NOAA-11
NOAA-13 →

NOAA-12, also known as NOAA-D before launch, was an American weather satellite operated by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an operational meteorological satellite for use in the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS). The satellite design provided an economical and stable Sun-synchronous platform for advanced operational instruments to measure the atmosphere of Earth, its surface and cloud cover, and the near-space environment.[6]

  1. ^ "Tiros N". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference WMO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  4. ^ "POES Decommissioned Satellites". United States Department of Commerce. NOAA. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Trajectory was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Display: NOAA 12 1991-032A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.