Suomi NPP

Suomi NPP (Suomi National Polar - orbiting Partnership, formerly called NPOESS Preparatory Project) is a weather and environmental satellite of NASA and NOAA.

Planning

The satellite was a prototype planned by NASA and NOAA weather satellite constellation NPOESS (National Operational Environmental Satellite System in polar orbit ), which consists of six satellites and should be started from 2013. In addition to the collection of weather data, these satellites should also provide information to study the effects of global warming.

Mission

Suomi NPP was placed in a sun-synchronous orbit on October 28, 2011 at 09:48 UTC clock with a Delta II 7920 -10C from the launch pad SLC -2W Vandenberg Air Force Base. The used Delta rocket used the shorter version of the two available payload fairing with 3.05 m diameter and consisted of carbon fiber composites. The launch was originally scheduled for 2010, but he postponed due to problems with the American Meteorological Organization NOAA and NASA. This launch of the Delta II was perhaps the last of this type, since it is no longer produced and no further launches are planned more. However, there are still embedded components for a maximum of five missiles.

With the rocket additional six nano-satellites were brought into orbit. They were ( ELaNa3 ) NASA developed in the framework of the Education -launch of Nano Satellite - 3 program and built by students from various universities. All are based on the standardized CubeSats, a project initiated by the California Polytechnic State University program for cost-effective development of nano-satellites, so as to arouse the interest for space, especially with students. They have different objectives will, for example, the satellite RAX -2 (Radio Aurora Explorer from the University of Michigan) and the identical DICE DICE 1 and 2 of the Space Dynamics Laboratory study the ionosphere of the earth in more detail. Particularly noteworthy is Explorer 1 [Prime ] Unit 2 ( E1P -U2 ), which was prepared as a replacement copy of Explorer 1 [Prime ] ( E1P ). E1P was a modern replica of the first American satellite Explorer 1, but went with a false start a Taurus XL rocket on March 4, 2011, in addition two other nano satellites and NASA's Glory mission lost. AubieSat - 1 was developed as part of the Auburn University Student Satellite Program ( AUSSP ) and sending it over the ground station a continuous signal, which enables more than one control signal deviations of the control of the satellite. M -Cubed of the University of Michigan 's Student Space Systems Fabrication Lab ( S3FL ) in turn is used to Earth observation.

The satellite was named in January 2012 after the American meteorologist Verner E. Suomi, who is considered the father of satellite meteorology.

Technology

The three -axis stabilized satellite is based on the satellite bus BCP 2000 on Earth Observation Satellites by Ball Aerospace. It is equipped with an internal MIL -STD -1553 and FireWire network and five instruments that come from previous weather and environmental satellites such as Terra, Aqua, POES or military DMSP weather satellites. These are:

  • Visible / Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite ( VIIRS ) - a working in the visible and infrared range 22 -channel radiometer that provides images of the Earth
  • Cross -track Infrared Sounder ( CrIS ) - a Michelson interferometer for measurement of temperature and moisture concentration of the atmosphere
  • Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder ( ATMS ) - one in the microwave range working, passive 22 -channel radiometer for measurement of temperature and moisture profiles of the atmosphere
  • Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite ( OMPS ) - a measuring instrument for determining the ozone concentration
  • Clouds and Earth Radiant Energy System ( CERES ) - a three-channel radiometer for the determination of the albedo and the total energy budget of the Earth

The instruments are used to measure the atmospheric temperature and moisture concentration, the cloud representation, the measurement of sea surface temperature and the concentration of ozone in the atmosphere, biological productivity on land and in the ocean, the aerosol concentrations and the radiative balance of the climate system. The satellite has a power consumption of up to 2285 watts (2600 max delivers the Bus EOL), a storage capacity of 343 gigabit and a data transfer rate to ground of 300 megabits per second ( X-band ). The planned life of the satellite is 7 years, the mission should last only 5 years.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration International Designator Orbital inclination Taurus (rocket) Glory (1989 film) AubieSat-1 Ball Aerospace & Technologies IEEE 1394 Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
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