NOAA-N Prime is the last in the K, L, M, N and N Prime series of satellites. These satellites have served the nation well since 1960, when the world’s first weather satellite was launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In 1978, TIROS-N was launched, revolutionizing weather satellite capabilities. NOAA has worked with NASA to continuously improve the TIROS satellites, and in 1983 began the Advanced TIROS-N (ATN) program. NOAA-N Prime carries a suite of instruments that provides critical global data for weather and climate predictions. Like its predecessors, NOAA-N Prime will provide global images of clouds and surface features and vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature and humidity for use in numerical weather and ocean forecast models, as well as data on ozone distribution in the upper part of the atmosphere, and near-Earth space environments -- information important for the marine, aviation, power generation, agriculture, and other communities. NOAA-N Prime is part of the international satellite-aided search and rescue missions which have been credited with saving over 22,000 lives since 1982. NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through research and prediction of weather and climate-related events and by providing environmental stewardship of the nation’s coastal and marine resources.
NOAA-N Prime Fact Sheet
NOAA-N Prime Instrument Description
NOAA-N Prime Informational Booklet
NOAA-N Prime Mission Overview Video
Additional NOAA/NASA N-Prime Infomation
NOAA/NASA N-Prime Mission Overview Video
NOAA N Prime was successfully launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base at about 2:22 a.m. PST. February 06, 2009. After NOAA-N Prime successfully arrived in its orbit, the NOAA N Prime satellite was renamed NOAA-19. NOAA-19 is in a nominal orbit and all spacecraft systems appear to be functioning properly.
NOAA-N Prime Satellite Photos:
NOAA-N Prime First AVHRR Visible Images:
