Top officials from NOAA and NASA will discuss next week’s launch of the Joint Polar Satellite System, JPSS-1, the first in a series of four highly advanced NOAA polar-orbiting satellites, designed to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts out to seven days.
JPSS-1, the first in a series of NOAA's four next-generation polar-orbiting weather satellites, is scheduled to launch November 10 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. (Image credit: Ball Aerospace)
JPSS-1 is scheduled to launch on Nov. 14 at 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST) from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
JPSS will bring the latest and best technology NOAA has ever flown in a polar orbit to capture more precise observations of the atmosphere, land and waters. JPSS-1, which will be known as NOAA-20 when it reaches orbit, will join Suomi NPP, the joint NOAA-NASA weather satellite, giving the U.S. the benefit of two, sophisticated polar satellites in the same orbit. Each will circle the globe 14 times a day, 50 minutes apart and provide full, global observations for U.S. weather prediction. Forecasters will use the data to better predict weather events and hazards, such as a hurricane’s track, and when a hurricane will intensify or weaken, identify power outages and locate and evaluate damage after a storm.
Media can post questions during the briefings via Twitter, using the hashtag #askNASA.
Pre-launch News Briefings
On Nov. 12, NASA-TV will have live coverage of two pre-launch news briefings for JPSS-1 held at Vandenberg AFB:
Mission Overview Briefing – 1 p.m. PST (4 p.m. EST)
- Steve Volz, director, NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service
- Greg Mandt, director, Joint Polar Satellite System
- Sandra Smalley, director, Joint Agency Satellite Division, NASA Headquarters
- Omar Baez, NASA launch manager
- Scott Messer, program manager, United Launch Alliance
- Capt. Ross Malugani, launch weather officer, Vandenberg Air Force Base 30th Space Wing
Science/User Briefing – 2:30 p.m. PST (5:30 p.m. EST)
- Mitch Goldberg, chief program scientist, NOAA, JPSS
- Joe Pica, director, Office of Observations, NOAA’s National Weather Service
- James Gleason, senior project scientist, NASA Goddard, JPSS
- Jana Luis, division chief, predictive services, CAL FIRE, Sacramento Headquarters
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the JPSS-1 flight will be available on http://www.nasa.gov. Covera
To learn more about the JPSS-1 mission, visit:
https://www.jpss.noaa.gov and https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/jp
Contact
John Leslie, 202-527-3504 (cell)
