New U.S. Earth Observation Satellite Launched
20 May 2005
NASA, NOAA satellite will help weather forecasts, environment
Washington -- NASA has launched the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) new polar-orbiting operational environmental satellite -- a critical link in developing a global Earth-observation program.
The spacecraft -- named NOAA-N -- lifted off May 20 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NASA is scheduled to transfer operational control to NOAA 21 days after launch.
"The NOAA-N satellite is key to establishing a strong Global Earth Observation System of Systems, because it will strengthen our understanding about what the environment around the world is doing, not just here in the U.S.," said Gregory Withee, assistant administrator for NOAA's Satellite and Information Service.
"From monitoring the ash clouds of Mount St. Helens, to bolstering the U.S. search and rescue network, NOAA-N will be the link in our continued success," he added.
NOAA-N is also carrying into orbit instruments used in the international Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System established in 1982.
This system, known as COSPAS-SARSAT, NOAA enables polar-orbiting satellites to detect emergency beacon distress signals, then relay their location to ground stations so rescuers can be dispatched. SARSAT is credited with saving 5,000 lives in the United States and more than 18,000 worldwide.
NOAA-N will replace NOAA-16, in operation since 2000, and join NOAA-17, launched in 2002. Once in orbit, NOAA-N will be renamed NOAA-18. NOAA maintains two primary polar-orbiting satellites. Global data from these satellites are used extensively in NOAA's weather and climate prediction models.
As it orbits the globe, NOAA-N will collect data about the Earth's surface and atmosphere that provide the basis for NOAA's long-range climate and seasonal outlooks. The data include forecasts for El Niño, a warming of the surface water of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean that occurs every four to 12 years when cold water fails to rise to the surface, causing unusual weather patterns.
NOAA-N is the 15th in a series of polar-orbiting satellites dating back to 1978. NOAA-N has imaging and sounding capabilities that are broadcast around the world and recorded on board for playback over NOAA ground stations. One more satellite in the series is scheduled for launch in December 2007.
NOAA's next generation of polar spacecraft, the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), is planned for launch in early 2010. NPOESS is a combined program with NOAA, the Department of Defense and NASA.
Additional information about NASA, NOAA-N and polar orbiting satellites are available at http://www.nasa.gov/noaa-n, http://goespoes.gsfc.nasa.gov, http://www.noaa.gov and http://nws.noaa.gov.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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