The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has conducted a detailed study of its next generation satellite architecture, the NOAA Satellite Observing System Architecture (NSOSA) study. Among the goals for that study was to determine if there was a compelling case for making a radical change to the satellite architecture. Here “satellite architecture” is understood to mean the allocation of functions to platforms or orbits and the selection of measurements to make. The basic satellite architecture for weather observation from space has been largely stable for several decades and will continue in its current form for at least another decade. The study developed several general forms of radical change and determined that there is no compelling case for making any of them. The reasons are not merely unfavorable cost-benefit ratio in specific instances, but are inherent in the current understanding of relative collection priorities, instrument and data assimilation technologies, and division of mission responsibilities. While any of these could change, they are not likely to change in the foreseeable future. While the study concluded that there is no compelling case for radical structural change, the situation is quite different for significant change in business models and programmatic boundaries.
Is there a case for radical change to weather satellite constellations?
2018-03-01
795024 byte
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Monitoring and Managing Space Weather Impacts to Satellite Constellations
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2022
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