After completing a successful on-orbit checkout and testing of NOAA-21’s instruments and systems, NASA handed operations of the satellite over to NOAA’s Office of Satellite and Product Operations (OSPO) on March 30, 2023. This milestone marks the completion of NASA’s role in building and launching NOAA-21, the third satellite in the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) series, and an important next step on its journey to become a fully operational member of NOAA’s JPSS fleet.
The satellite, originally named JPSS-2 prior to reaching its polar orbit, launched November 10, 2022 on an Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
NOAA-21 is circling the Earth in the same orbital plane as the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite and the NOAA-20 satellite in the JPSS fleet. Having all three satellites in orbit allows for an important overlap in observational coverage to occur for critical instrument calibration and validation activities, which in turn leads to more accurate weather forecasting.
Once all data product testing activities are complete, OSPO will deem NOAA-21 as operational. OSPO will then assign the NOAA-21, NOAA-20 and SNPP satellites as primary, secondary, or tertiary satellites within the JPSS fleet. This milestone is expected to take place in Fall 2023.
NOAA-21, Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 each cross the equator 28 times daily, providing full global coverage twice a day, making precise measurements of the atmosphere, ocean, and land surface. These measurements are critical for the nation's weather models and forecasters.
