JPSS series of Satellites

After working so many space science missions, I decided to work on another aspect of space technology that is very important to us on Earth, and that is the area of weather satellites. Especially in light of the warming Earth and the more intense storms it brings to the planet and home island. This program is not only building one spacecraft, but three. They are replacements to the two already in space doing daily images of the weather. These replacements are called JPSS-2, JPSS-3, and JPSS-4.

JPSS Constellation

Bottom two spacecraft are in space as of 2021 and working well (image from here)

Another unusual aspect is that these spacecraft are built at Northrop Grumman's Satellite Factory in Gilbert Arizona. That means lots of travel for Agnes and me to help the construction. In particular, my role is to help with diagnosing problems found during electrical integration, and I started in April of 2019 after completing the RRM3 mission.

At the front gate of the SMF on W. Elliot Rd in Gilbert, AZ
Some call this place the "Satellite Factory".

JPSS-2 Construction - The first in the series

Photo from Jan 2021 with VIIRS (covered in grey)
and ATMS integrated. In space,
the top part faces the Earth.
Image released for public use.

previbe picture

JPSS-2 fully integrated with Landsat 9
in the background (Feb 2021)
This image from here.

J2 at EMI test

Photo of the JPSS-2 spacecraft in
the EMI chamber (Oct 2021).
Once it space, the right side faces the Earth.
Image released for public use.

In the above image, we have placed the completed spacecraft in an anechoic room to perform our Electromagnetic Compatibility Tests. This is where we check to see the satellite's compatibility with the electromagnetic spectrum in space. We hit it with radio energy at various frequencies and intensities to make sure it is not affected.

JPSS-2 with its Solar Array unfurled. The array is
suspended on a rail system to test its deployment.
Image released for public use by NASA in Jan 2022.

In March 2022, I staffed several shifts on console during the spacecraft's thermal-vacuum test.

JPSS-3 Construction - The second in the series

JPSS-3 in its initial phase of construction. You can see the basic
structure and panels. The poles on the left are for the
microwave commmunication antennas and is the part that faces Earth during flight.
Image released for public use in October 2021.

Sep 2022 - JPSS-2 Launch
Since the JPSS constellation are weather satellites, they need to be able to pass over every part of the Earth. As a result, they are launched in a polar orbit (passing over the poles). This means launching in a direct Northerly or Southerly direction. Neither of these options are safe for heavily populated Florida, so NASA and the DOD launch polar orbit satellites from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California (near Santa Maria).

Atlas V Booster (right) arriving by boat at the Vandenberg launch site.

JPSS-2 arriving at the launch processing site. It was moved by
truck from Gilbert, AZ.

During the launch phase the spacecraft is protected by a
cone shaped cover, called the fairing. This is the view of the
inside of the two halves. They get blown off explosively
once we are out of the atmosphere.

JPSS-2 being prepped for integration with the fairing.

Another view of JPSS-2 with the fairing.
These images are all cleared for
public release (Sept 2022)

Each JPSS spacecraft has four major instruments.

The first is the imager, known as VIIRS. It produces the standard weather images you have seen in the past that is based on the visible light cloud picture. Essentially an imaging camera.
The second and third are both sounders. The first works in the Microwave band (ATMS), and the second operates in the Infra-Red (CrIS). They both work to produce temperature and moisture maps. The power of these sounders are that they just don't take a flat image (such as VIIRS), but are able to construct a three dimensional image of the atmosphere. An infopage focused on ATMS is here.
The last type is the Ozone Mapper (OMPS). This produces an image on how the ozone is distributed in the atmosphere. This predicts our UV exposure and is important to study climate change.

Encapsulated spacecrafts being lifted onto
the last Atlas V booster (Oct 2022).

Posing on the support tower structure right
next to the rocket and spacecraft (Nov 2 2022)

Visit to Launch Pad on 10/30/2022

Launch was November 10 2022 from SLC-3E. Prior to that I had worked console for a week and we had been travelling a month already by then. We decided to return home and not stay for launch.

Long duration exposure of the launch.

ULA photo album (search for JPSS-2).

ATMS' First Light Image

VIIRS First Light

NASA / NOAA joint project