NOAA-21
NOAA-21, designated JPSS-2 prior to launch, is the second of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s latest generation of U.S. polar-orbiting, non-geosynchronous, environmental satellites called the Joint Polar Satellite System. NOAA-21 was launched on 10 November 2022 and join NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP in the same orbit. Circling the Earth from pole-to-pole, it will cross the equator about 14 times daily, providing full global coverage twice a day. It was launched with LOFTID.
Artist's rendering of the NOAA-21 satellite in orbit. | |
| Names | JPSS-2 Joint Polar Satellite System-2 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Weather |
| Operator | NOAA |
| COSPAR ID | 2022-150A |
| SATCAT no. | 54234 |
| Website | http://www.jpss.noaa.gov/ |
| Mission duration | 7 years (planned) 1 year, 3 months and 1 day (elapsed) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Joint Polar Satellite System |
| Bus | LEOStar-3 |
| Manufacturer | Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems |
| Launch mass | 2,930 kg (6,460 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 10 November 2022, 09:49:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas V 401 |
| Launch site | Vandenberg, SLC-3E |
| Contractor | United Launch Alliance |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit (planned) |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous orbit |
| Altitude | 833 km |
| Inclination | 98.80° |
| Period | 102.00 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) | |
Alternate NOAA-21 Mission Patch by NASA Eventbrite | |
NOAA-21 will provide operational continuity of satellite-based observations and products for NOAA Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES) and Suomi NPP satellite and ground systems. The baseline plan for JPSS Ground System will be sustained to support NOAA-21, similar to NOAA-20. NOAA-21 hosts the following instruments: 1) VIIRS, 2) CrIS, 3) ATMS, and 4) OMPS. It was at one time intended to carry the Radiation Budget Instrument (RBI) but NASA cancelled that project in 2018.