BackForward Satellite Programme: Joint Polar Satellite System 

Programme details
Programme description
  • Four-satellite programme following a precursor (SNPP), resulting from restructuring the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS).  NPOESS was being defined as a dual-use civilian-military undertaking of NOAA and DoD.  In 2010, it was split into a civilian component (JPSS) and a post-DMSP programme formerly named DWSS (Defence Weather Satellite System).
  • Part of the instrumentation is flown as free-flyers, called SIDAR (Solar Irradiance, Data and Rescue).
  • USA programme.  Responsible agency: NOAA, with initial developmental role of NASA.
  • 3-axis stabilised platform.
  • The design life time of the satellites is 7 years (5 years for SNPP).
  • The satellites exploit a sunsynchronous orbit around 13:30 to provide continuity to the last flight units of the POES series.
  • The replacement policy is based on launching satellites at roughly 5-year intervals.
  • See detailed description at http://www.jpss.noaa.gov.
Data circulation
  • CDA (Command & Data Acquisition station) to acquire Stored Mission Data (SMD).  Main locations: Svalbard (Norway) and Fairbanks (Alaska).
  • HRD (High Rate Data) for real-time broadcasting of full-resolution data.
  • LRD (Low Rate Data) for real-time broadcasting of selected data (starting with JPSS-2).
Agencies NOAA , NASA
Programme lifetime 2011 - 2039
Associated satellites and instruments

Note: red tag => no longer operational , green tag => operational , blue tag => planned