National Polar-Orbiting Op Env Satellite
Abstract
Presidential Decision Directive/National Science and Technology Council-2 (PDD/NCTC-2) (May 1994) directed the DoD, Department of Commerce (DOC), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to establish a converged national polar-orbiting weather satellite program. The converged program, the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), combined the follow-on to DoD’s Defense Meteorological Satellite System (DMSP) and the DOC’s Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) program. On 1 February 2010, the Executive Office of the President announced a restructure of the NPOESS program which directed the acquisition and development of separate military and civil weather satellite programs. The Air Force will acquire the Defense Weather Satellite System (DWSS) to satisfy military weather requirements. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will acquire the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) and shared common ground system to address civil weather and environmental requirements. The DWSS system will produce environmental data records for regional/global meteorological, oceanographic, environmental, and climatic data, and will provide space environmental remote sensing information. DWSS will enable the anticipation and exploitation of atmospheric and space environment conditions for military operations planning. DWSS data will also be instrumental to civilian weather forecasters as they work to improve climate forecasting and severe weather modeling and prediction, reducing the potential for loss of civilian life and property. The DWSS program will satisfy DoD’s environmental monitoring requirements in the early morning orbit by developing and launching two satellites [flight-1 (F1) and flight-2 (F2)], each with a Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), Space Environment Monitor (SEM-N), and Microwave Imager/Sounder (MIS) sensor suite with an initial launch capability no earlier than 2018. RDT&E funds through FY 2010 were used to develop and acquire the VIIRS, Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), and the Ozone Mapping and Profile Suite (OMPS) sensors for the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) and the first two NPOESS Satellites (C-1 and C-2). RDT&E funds in FY 2011 were used for early development of the two DWSS satellites, contract restructure efforts, and continued transition of non-DoD payloads to NASA/NOAA for JPSS. RDT&E funds in FY 2012 will be used to begin redesign of the NPOESS spacecraft bus to a smaller and lighter version for DWSS. In addition, FY12 funding will allow for continued development of the VIIRS and MIS sensors, spacecraft and sensor subsystems and materials, algorithms, and DoD-specific elements of the common ground system. FY12 RDT&E funding will also support DWSS Program risk reduction by providing the capability to route Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) mission data through the DWSS ground system at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The DWSS program includes development of two satellites and will not utilize procurement funding starting in FY12.
Document Details
- Document Type
- R2 Budgetary Justification
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2012
- Source ID
- 0305178F_4_3600_PB_2012
- Change Summary Explanation
- NPOESS restructure continued in FY11 for the DWSS follow-on program. FY12 adjustment reflects initial DWSS cost estimate which was completed in October 2010.
- Service Agency Name
- Air Force
Entities
Organizations
- United States Air Force
Related Documents
- Child Project: National Polar-orbiting Operational Env. Sat. Syst.
- Child Accomplishment: DWSS
- Child Cost Item: eb04179a72158b5d4d9e87e438586a48
- Child Cost Item: 18867d3f640f23bdecb6e41702968afd
- Child Cost Item: 833bfe1034d86a8509f05962913cb46d
- Child Cost Item: f7b2ad3b2113a5572f3dc60569308511