NPOESS Status

Andrew Heidinger, VIIRS OAT co-chairand

Jeff Key

NOAA/NESDIS/Office of Research and ApplicationsMadison, Wisconsin

July 27, 2006

Baseline NPOESS Products (aka EDRs) pre Nunn-McCurdy

Nunn-McCurdy Impacts on NPOESS

• The NPOESS budget went from $ 6.5B to $11.5B

• Because NPOESS is run under DOD procurement procedures, this budget overrun caused a review under the Nunn-McCurdy Act.

• Defense Department organized a comprehensive review of the program.

• Defense Department reviewers recommended:

reducing the number of satellites planned from six to four

dropping several climate sensors,

rebidding a contract for a key scientific instrument.

• The entire NPOESS contract has to be renegotiated with NGST and there may be more changes especially in the EDR generation area.

•The Integrated Program Office has also been reorganized.

Decision Drivers in Redefining NPOESS

• Continuity

• Lower Risk

• Growth Potential

• Affordability

5

Justification for Changes: Preserves Weather Forecasting Capability Improvements

• Afternoon orbit contains advanced imager and advanced sounder to enhance weather forecasting

• Reliance upon METOP in mid-morning orbit

– AVHRR vs VIIRS: preserves some imagery capability

– METOP scatterometer and advanced atmospheric sounder enhance operational weather forecasting capability in mid morning orbit

• No microwave imager/sounder on C1

– METOP scatterometer for ocean winds and waves becomes primary instrument until new imager/sounder is available on C2

• Continue reliance on DMSP (SSM/I) for ocean wind speed

Schedule Impacts: pre Nunn-McCurdy

F17

F19

F18

F20

F16

F13

M

N N’

NPP

Metop AMetop B

Metop C

C1

C2

C3

AM

mid-AM

PM

05 06 07 08 09 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 2510

AQUA

Metop D

C4

post Nunn-McCurdy CALENDAR YEAR

Post N-M Sensor Manifest

1730 Orbit (C2, C4) 1330 Orbit (C1, C3) 2130 OrbitVIIRS VIIRS Metopwave imager wave imager SARSAT CrIS ATMS SEM OMPS (Nadir) SARSAT A-DCS CERES (C1)

POST N-M Sensor Integration: Non-Manifested Sensors

1730 1330

TSIS SESS

SESS ERBS

ALT APS

OMPS (Limb)

Information on how these sensors can be manifested will be forthcoming.

Sensor Configuration pre Nunn-McCurdy

Sensor Configuration post Nunn-McCurdy for C1

Worst Case for C1

-wave

Post Nunn McCurdy Sensors (from IPO brief to the SUAG on 20 July 2006)

Satellite NPP C1 C2 C3 C4

Launch Sep 2009 2013   2016  2020  2022 

Nodal Time 1330 1330 0530 1330 0530

VIIRS X X X X X

Microwave Imager/Sounder X X X

CrIS X X X  

ATMS X X X  

OMPS Nadir X X   X  

SEM (MEPED and TED) X   X  

CERES   X      

SARSAT X X X X

ADCS X  X X  X

Non-manifested (Integration only provided for specified orbit)SESS (Aurora, TPS, SEM)

NOTE: (SEM replaces MEPS, HEPS, LEPS)X X

Survivability Sensor X X X X

ERBS X

ALT X X

TSIS X X

OMPS Limb X   X

APS X

Manifested

NOAA Impacts and Mitigation Strategy

• CMIS: Ocean wind speed and direction– Mitigation: Rely on MetOp and DMSP

• SEM: Space Environment Monitor (of SESS)– Mitigation: Fly POES operational SEM instrument – Maintain capability on POES

• APS: Aerosol data for air quality forecasts and role of aerosols in climate; – Mitigation: NASA still to fly first APS in this decade

• ALT: Characterization of sea surface heights; – Mitigation: Navy developing mitigation plan for altimetry

• ERBS: provides ability to understand changes in the Earth’s radiation budget – Mitigation: Fly NASA CERES research instrument on C1

• TSIS: ability to understand changes in solar irradiance– Not flown on NOAA satellites

Summary of Major N-M Impacts

• CMIS is gone but a redesigned microwave imager-sounder is planned for C2

• 21:30 NPOESS satellite is gone and DOD/DOC will rely on the European METOP (AVHRR/IASI/AMSU). NO VIIRS IN MID-AM.

• OMPS limb-sounder is gone.• NPP is delayed until 2010• C1 is delayed until 2013• C5 and C6 are gone.• NPOESS will keep space for climate sensors but will not

fund their design (similar to instruments of opportunity on the GOES satellites).

Summary

• NPOESS took a big hit in the N-M review and is a smaller program. Climate instruments may not fly (e.g., CERES, APS).

• VIIRS technical issues are being solved and it should serve the aviation community well.

• CrIS should provide improved AIRS performance in some regions and more spectral coverage.

• Unfortunately, the microwave imager is gone until at least C2 (2016)