Tags: NASA, Weather Satellite, JPSS, NOAA
Publication: CNN.com
Publication Date: 10/25/2012

Detailed imagery of Hurricane Sandy captured by the Suomi NPP Satellite  Image credit: Rob Gutro, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Important gap in weather satellites could happen the next few years, which might leave the United States without precious data to predict storm tracks. According to reports, mismanagement and lack of funds for the project, run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) and NASA, have weakened the country’s assets in this arena. Without this data, storms like Hurricane Irene or the 2010 snowfall in Washington would be hard to measure, making it difficult to prepare for them.

Forecasting and tracking of the current Hurricane Sandy takes almost 84 percent of the data from the dying polar satellites. Experts are concerned over the fact that these existing polar satellites are facing the end of their useful life and a replacement – the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) – isn’t scheduled until 2017. Most likely, there will be a gap of at least a year without an operating satellite.

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