NOAA Satellite Partnerships that Matter

49th AAS Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium

March 31, 2011

Charles S. Baker Deputy Assistant Administrator for

Satellite and Information Services National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOAA-NASA Partnership: Beginnings• TRIOS-1 launched April 1, 1960.• In May 1961, President Kennedy

requested $53 million for “a satellite system for worldwide weather observation. Such a system will be of inestimable commercial and scientific value, and the information it provides will be made freely available to all the nations of the world.”

• In January 1962, Commerce and NASA signed an agreement outlining the responsibilities of each agency.

2

NOAA-NASA Partnership: Five Decades of Success

• 38 POES satellites have flown – 5 are flying today• 15 GOES Satellites have flown – 5 are flying today• NOAA also uses data from NASA’s own satellites

3*

NOAA-19Launched February 6, 2009

GOES-15Launched May 4, 2010

NOAA-NASA Partnership: Future

4

GOES – R

JPSS

NOAA-EUMETSAT Partnership• Polar-orbiting satellites

– EUMETSAT flies in morning orbit; NOAA flies in afternoon orbit; exchange of all data

– NOAA instruments fly on EUMETSAT satellites; EUMETSAT instruments fly on NOAA satellites

– The benefits:• Cost savings on both sides• Common technology• Common data for weather, climate, and oceans

• Geostationary satellites– EUMETSAT and NOAA exchange GOES and METEOSAT

data– Satellite backup agreement

5

US-European Partnership: Jason

NOAA Partnerships: International Organizations

NOAA-CNES Partnership: Data Collection

• Thirty year cooperation with French space agency (CNES)• CNES-built Argos data collection systems fly on NOAA and

other satellites• Relays in situ data from sources such as climate stations,

stream gauges, tide gauges, moored ocean buoys, drifting floats, ships, birds, fish, marine mammals, and land animals

• Worldwide coverage• Able to locate the transmission with an accuracy of 150

meters

8

NOAA Search and Rescue Partnership• Canada and France provide NOAA and EUMETSAT

instruments as part of globally coordinated system with Russia

• Accurate, timely, reliable distress alert location data to help search and rescue authorities

• Over 28,000 rescues since inception in 1982, including the rescue of Abby Sunderland (shown below)

9