
JOINT POLAR SATELLITE SYSTEM-1
An advanced polar-orbiting environmental satellite
The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1), now known as NOAA-20, launched in November 2017 and is collecting critical data for civil and military weather-forecasting, storm tracking and climate-monitoring.
Data and imagery from the JPSS satellites will save lives and protect property by increasing the timeliness and accuracy of weather event warnings and forecasts. The National Weather Service is feeding JPSS-1/NOAA-20 data into models used for long-term weather forecasting, allowing scientists and forecasters to monitor and predict weather patterns with greater speed and accuracy. JPSS is also key for the continuity of long-term climate measurements, following the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership spacecraft now on orbit, which we also built and integrated.
JPSS-1/NOAA-20's suite of advanced remote sensing instruments include:
- Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)
- Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS)
- Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS)
- The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS)
- The Clouds and the Earth Radiant Energy System (CERES)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) manages the JPSS satellites and instruments. NASA is the JPSS acquisition lead.
What We Did
Spacecraft & instrument provider, integration & test lead
Our job was to design and build the JPSS-1 satellite bus and the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) instrument, integrate all instruments and perform satellite-level testing and launch support, all under contract to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
The JPSS-1 spacecraft is part of our Ball Configurable Platform line of spacecraft designed for cost-effective, remote sensing applications. The JPSS-1 spacecraft bus is the twelfth spacecraft built on our core architecture, which has more than 50 years of successful on-orbit operations.
JPSS-1: THE NEXT-GEN WEATHER SATELLITE
SHARE THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF JPSS-1
Download STEM-focused coloring sheets, paper models and more!
For additional STEM resources, visit NOAA's JPSS-1 educational page.
JPSS-1/NOAA-20 Infographic
Download this infographic to learn more about JPSS-1/NOAA-20
Suomi NPP
NOAA Satellite & Info Service
Satellites
Weather
OMPS
Learn more about our OMPS instrument on Suomi NPP, JPSS-1 and JPSS-2.