Future NOAA Polar Orbiting and Geostationary Satellite Systems During the next decade, through 2020, substantial changes will be made to the NOAA constellation of polar orbiting and geostationary satellites. These changes are being implemented to take advantage of new technologies, the requirements for additional and different data, and the need to achieve a cost effective United States environmental satellite program. Joint Polar-orbiting Satellite System (JPSS) NOAA's portion of JPSS will consist of platforms based on the Suomi NPP satellite. NASA launched the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP), on Oct. 28, 2011. On January 24, 2012, NPP was renamed Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership, or Suomi NPP. NASA renamed NPP in honor of the late Verner E. Suomi, a meteorologist at the University of Wisconsin who is recognized widely as "the father of satellite meteorology." The SNPP mission, launched in October 2011, is the bridge between the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS), NOAA POES constellation and the future JPSS satellites. JPSS is the civilian component of the former NPOESS program manager by NOAA. The JPSS implements NOAA's requirements to provide global environmental data from low Earth-orbiting satellites in support of NOAA's mission to understand and predict changes in weather, climate, oceans and coasts, and the space environment that support the Nation's economy, and protect lives and property. The overarching concept of the JPSS is the continuation of polar-orbiting environmental satellite observations required to support NOAA's mission for a weather ready nation, healthy oceans, climate adaptation and mitigation and resilient coastal communities and economies.
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