NOAA-21
Artist's rendering of the NOAA-21 satellite in orbit. | |||||||||||
| Names | JPSS-2 Joint Polar Satellite System-2 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission type | Weather | ||||||||||
| Operator | NOAA | ||||||||||
| COSPAR ID | 2022-150A | ||||||||||
| SATCAT no. | 54234 | ||||||||||
| Website | http://www.jpss.noaa.gov/ | ||||||||||
| Mission duration | 7 years (planned) 2 years, 7 months and 6 days (elapsed) | ||||||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||
| Spacecraft type | Joint Polar Satellite System | ||||||||||
| Bus | LEOStar-3 | ||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems | ||||||||||
| Launch mass | 2,930 kg (6,460 lb) | ||||||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||||||
| Launch date | 10 November 2022, 09:49:00 UTC | ||||||||||
| Rocket | Atlas V 401 | ||||||||||
| Launch site | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | ||||||||||
| Contractor | United Launch Alliance | ||||||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||||||
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit | ||||||||||
| Regime | Sun-synchronous orbit | ||||||||||
| Altitude | 833 km | ||||||||||
| Inclination | 98.80° | ||||||||||
| Period | 102.00 minutes | ||||||||||
| Instruments | |||||||||||
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JPSS-2 Mission Insignia Large Strategic Science Missions Earth Science Division | |||||||||||
NOAA-21, designated JPSS-2 prior to launch, is the second satellite in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s latest series of U.S. polar-orbiting, non-geosynchronous, environmental satellites, known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Launched on 10 November 2022, along with LOFTID, NOAA-21 now operates in the same orbit as NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP. It travels in a polar orbit, crossing the equator approximately 14 times a daily, and provides complete global coverage twice a day.
NOAA-21 ensures the continuity of satellite-based observations and products for NOAA's Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES) and Suomi NPP systems. The JPSS Ground System was maintained to support NOAA-21, following the model established for NOAA-20. The instruments on board include VIIRS, CrIS, ATMS, and OMPS. Although it was originally planned to carry the Radiation Budget Instrument (RBI), that project was canceled by NASA in 2018.