NOAA-21

NOAA-21
Artist's rendering of the NOAA-21 satellite in orbit.
NamesJPSS-2
Joint Polar Satellite System-2
Mission typeWeather
OperatorNOAA
COSPAR ID2022-150A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.54234
Websitehttp://www.jpss.noaa.gov/
Mission duration7 years (planned) 2 years and 17 days (elapsed)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeJoint Polar Satellite System
BusLEOStar-3
ManufacturerNorthrop Grumman Innovation Systems
Launch mass2,930 kg (6,460 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date10 November 2022, 09:49:00 UTC[1]
RocketAtlas V 401
Launch siteVandenberg, SLC-3E
ContractorUnited Launch Alliance
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeSun-synchronous orbit
Altitude833 km
Inclination98.80°
Period102.00 minutes
Instruments

JPSS-2 Mission Insignia
Large Strategic Science Missions
Earth Science Division
← NOAA-20
PACE →
← NOAA-20
NOAA-22 →
This visualization illustrates how NOAA-20 orbit phasing and raising works relative to Suomi NPP, the notional way can be maneuvered a quarter-orbit along-track separation from NOAA-20 prior to launch of JPSS-2, and how a three-satellite constellation operates on a Sun-synchronous orbit node-crossing including sensor-swath footprints as the world turns below.

NOAA-21, designated JPSS-2 prior to launch,[2] is the second satellite in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s latest series of U.S. polar-orbiting, non-geosynchronous, environmental satellites, known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Launched on November 10, 2022,[1] along with LOFTID, NOAA-21 now operates in the same orbit as NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP.[3] It travels in a polar orbit, crossing the equator approximately 14 times a daily, and provides complete global coverage twice a day.[4]

NOAA-21 ensures the continuity of satellite-based observations and products for NOAA's Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES) and Suomi NPP systems.[4] The JPSS Ground System was maintained to support NOAA-21, following the model established for NOAA-20. The instruments on board include VIIRS, CrIS, ATMS, and OMPS. Although it was originally planned to carry the Radiation Budget Instrument (RBI), that project was canceled by NASA in 2018.[5]

  1. ^ a b Gebhardt, Chris (10 November 2022). "Atlas rocket bids farewell to California as ULA readies for Vulcan". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  2. ^ "JPSS-2 Has a New Name: NOAA-21". NESDIS. NOAA. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ "NOAA's JPSS-2 Mission Has New Launch Date". NESDIS. NOAA. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference MissAndInst was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "NASA Cancels Earth Science Sensor Set for 2021 Launch". NASA. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.