In 2017, the nation saw the launch of another next generation polar- orbiting satellite, NOAA-20. This launch – the second under the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), ensured that NOAA-20 along with the NOAA/NASA demonstration satellite, Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) would provide even more data and products into weather prediction models around the world. Considered the backbone of the global observing system, data from polar-orbiting satellites are critical for forecasting weather three to seven days in advance and monitoring the global environment. JPSS provides critical environmental observations to support NOAA’s overarching mission to “understand and predict changes in weather, climate, oceans, and coasts.”

https://doi.org/10.25923/89x6-s797

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