|
NPP will provide the first flight opportunity for three
NPOESS instruments: the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder
(ATMS), the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), and the
Visible-Infrared Imager Radiometer (VIIRS). All three instruments
are currently under development.
The Visible Infrared
Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) multispectral instrument will
acquire daily images the entire Earth at a spatial resolution of
about 600 to 1,200 m in the region from about 0.4 micrometers to
about 13 micrometers. The Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS)
interferometer will operate in the 3.5 to 16 micrometer region.
Both of these sensors will be provided by the IPO. The AMSU and
HSB measurement series will be extended by the Advanced Technology
Microwave Sounder (ATMS), which will be provided by NASA. The
frequencies covered by ATMS range from as low as 23 GHz to as 183
GHz.
NPP
NPOESS Preparatory Project spacecraft
|
|
SPACECRAFT
|
| Int'l Designation |
|
|
| Owner / Sponsor |
NASA
/ NOAA NPOESS Integrated Program Office (IPO)
|
| Mission |
Engineering
/ Service
Demonstration
|
| Satellite bus |
Ball Aerospace
|
BCP 2000
|
| Launch Mass |
|
| Dimensions, stowed |
|
| Mission Orbit |
SSO / 824
km (445 nmi), circular
|
|
| Design Life |
5 years
|
| Power (EOL) |
|
|
LAUNCH
|
| Launch Vehicle
Model |
|
| Date / Time (UTC) |
2006
|
|
|
FINANCIAL
|
| Satellite cost |
US$94 million
|
| Web Links |
|
|
