Joint Polar Satellite System

The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) is the latest generation of U.S. polar-orbiting, non-geosynchronous, environmental satellites. JPSS will provide the global environmental data used in numerical weather prediction models for forecasts, and scientific data used for climate monitoring. JPSS will aid in fulfilling the mission of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency of the Department of Commerce. Data and imagery obtained from the JPSS will increase timeliness and accuracy of public warnings and forecasts of climate and weather events, thus reducing the potential loss of human life and property and advancing the national economy. The JPSS is developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who is responsible for operation of JPSS. Three to five satellites are planned for the JPSS constellation of satellites. JPSS satellites will be flown, and the scientific data from JPSS will be processed, by the JPSS – Common Ground System (JPSS-CGS).

The first satellite in the JPSS is the Suomi NPP satellite, which launched on October 28, 2011. This was followed by JPSS-1, which was launched on November 18, 2017, three years later than originally anticipated when the contract was awarded in 2010.^[1] On November 21, 2017, after reaching its final orbit, JPSS-1 was renamed NOAA-20.^[2] The third satellite has been launched on November 10, 2022^[3] with two more satellites scheduled to be launched.^[4][5]

In addition, the TSI Calibration Transfer Experiment, launched on the U.S. Air Force Space Test Program Satellite-3 (STPSat-3) on November 19, 2013, is also part of JPSS.