NOAA’s JPSS-2 satellite performs a critical testing milestone – the parabolic arc
SILVER SPRING, Md. (NOAA PR) – NOAA’s JPSS-2 satellite has reached a critical testing milestone, bringing it one step closer to launch. Last week, an orbiting satellite rose from the chamber after performing its thermal vacuum test. The purpose of this test is to demonstrate that the spacecraft and all of its instruments operate successfully when exposed to the harsh environments of space.
“I can definitely say with 100% certainty that the observatory is working well,” said Andre Dress, JPSS Flight Project Manager. “All the instruments work great, and we’re going to meet all the requirements – and then some.”
NOAA’s JPSS-2, the third satellite in the Joint Polar Satellite System series, provides information on weather forecasts, extreme weather conditions, and climate change. it is is scheduled to launch November 1, 2022 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, and will be renamed NOAA-21 upon reaching orbit.
The thermal vacuum test simulates the vacuum of space and the extreme temperatures that a satellite experiences while in Earth orbit.
“The satellite needs to keep itself warm enough in the cold and cool when it’s hot, and still provide scientific performance in temperature changes,” said Chris Brann, assistant project manager for the JPSS flight project. “If it works at two extremes, hot and cold, it works in between.”
During testing, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, or VIIRS, detected an anomaly in the test equipment. The engineers determined that the deviation was due to a small movement between the test equipment and the instrument due to the thermal deformation. Changes were quickly made to the test configuration, and the system was retested – this time with the expected performance.
The heat vacuum test is the most significant test the satellite goes through after launch, Dress said. “There is no other similar test during the entire mission,” he said. “This is bigger.”
It also requires the most resources. Hundreds of people on the team supported this test alone.
The spacecraft appeared on the TVAC test on June 4 – three months after it entered the chamber. The investigation and equipment repairs delayed the completion of the test by about a month. This also led to a delay in the release date, which was originally scheduled for September 30, 2022.
This summer, a satellite solar panel will be installed and the satellite will be transferred to a cargo container whose temperature and humidity will be monitored. It will then be delivered to the launch site in California, where it will go through a final series of tests before being installed on the rocket, Brann said.
So much needs to be put together when planning a launch, said Lou Parkinson, an engineer at JPSS Flight Mission Systems. “Not only will we build a satellite and test the satellite and launch the satellite, but we will also need to be able to hand over a successfully operating satellite to NOAA to ensure they can continue to operate.”
The JPSS-2 scans the globe as it orbits from north to south, crossing the equator 14 times a day. 512 miles above the Earth, it monitors atmospheric conditions such as temperature and humidity as well as extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes, floods, forest fires and droughts. Once on the track, it will continue the work of its predecessors, NOAA-20 and NOAA-NASA, the Finnish National Pole Track Partnership (Finland-NPP).