NASA on 18 November 2017 successfully launched a highly advanced polar-orbiting satellite to improve weather forecasts for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).


Significance
• The advanced technology will help improve weather forecasts up to seven days in advance.
• This is the first in a series of four such satellites in a collaborative programme between NOAA and NASA.
• The solar arrays on JPSS-1 deployed approximately an hour after the launch and the spacecraft was operating on its own power.
• The satellite will be renamed NOAA-20 when it reaches its final orbit.
• It will become operation after a three-month checkout and validation of its five advanced instruments.
How will the satellite help?
It is expected to improve weather forecasting such as predicting a hurricane's track and will help agencies involved with post-storm recovery by visualizing storm damage and the geographic extent of power outages.
It will also improve recognition of climate patterns that influence the weather such as El Nino and La Nina.