FECRPSD: Suomi NPP

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Suomi NPP

The spacecraft «Suomi NPP» (Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership) was launched from Space Launch Complex 2W at Vandenberg Air Force Base (USA) on October 28, 2011 and was placed to sun-synchronous orbit 824 km above the Earth.

The spacecraft «Suomi NPP» is equipped with sensors for measuring temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure: CrIS (Cross-track Infrared Sounder) and ATMS (Advanced Technology Microwave Sounders); for collecting data about vertical and horizontal ozone dispersal - OMPS (Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite); for detecting radiation - CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System); for collecting infrared and light data of Earth’s surface - VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite), 22-band radiometer, which is similar to MODIS (satellites Aqua and Terra), but with better facilities.

Applications of data received from satellite «Suomi NPP»:

  • observing cloud cover, suspension (aerosol) concentration, water vapor distribution, monitoring of dangerous meteors;
  • restoring of humidity and air temperature profiles;
  • just-in-time mapping and studying temperature schedule of oceans;
  • just-in-time automatic detecting of forest fires of dozens of meters in size;
  • monitoring glacier movement, waterlogging and desertification, salinization, floods;
  • monitoring natural and anthropogenically provoked disasters on regional and global levels (floods, tsunami, eruptions, etc).

Presently data from VIIRS, CrIS and ATMS is processed in Far Eastern Center. Precision of restored air temperature received from CrIS and ATMS is above 1К in one-kilometer-layer of troposphere and above 15% in two-kilometer-layer of humidity profile.

Main technical features of VIIRS:

Shooting mode

Hyperspectral

Spectral channels (quantity)
Including:
Visible/ Near infrared
Mid infrared
Far infrared

22

Far infrared
8
4

Spectral range

0,45–12,00 mkm

Spatial resolution

375 м; 750 m

Swatch width

±56°, 3000 km

Revisit time

1-2 times a day

Data transfer rate

10.5 Мб/с (max)

Main technical features of CrIS

Sensing range

LWIR

9.14 - 15.38 mkm

MWIR

5.71 - 8.26 mkm

SWIR

3.92 - 4.64 mkm

Quantity of channels

1305

Swatch width

±50°, 2200 km

Width at nadir

14 km

Data transfer rate

1.5 Mb/sec (max)

Main technical features of ATMS

Quantity of channels

22 (23GHz - 183GHz)

Swatch width

2300 km

Width at nadir

14 km

Data transfer rate

30 Kb/sec