Weather System Follow-on Microwave Program: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:05, 10 March 2019

Revision as of 22:32, 12 October 2019

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The '''Weather System Follow-on Microwave''' (WSF-M) Satellite is the [[United States Department of Defense|United States Department of Defense's]] next-generation operational [[environmental satellite]] system. WSF-M will be a [[Low Earth orbit|Low Earth Orbit]] (LEO) satellite with a passive [[microwave imaging]] radiometer instrument and hosted furnished Energetic Charged Particle (ECP) sensor.<ref name="Ball">{{cite news|last1=Russell|first1=Kendall|title=Ball Aerospace Wins Air Force Contract for New Weather Satellite|url=https://www.satellitetoday.com/telecom/2017/11/30/ball-aerospace-wins-air-force-contract-new-weather-satellite/|website=www.satellitetoday.com|publisher=Via Satellite|accessdate=13 December 2017|date=30 November 2017}}</ref> The [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] intends to include ECP sensors on all future satellites for [[space weather]] monitoring, starting from the early 2020s.<ref name="Foust20160613">{{cite news |last=Werner |first=Debra |date=March 6, 2019 |title=Are small satellites the solution for space weather monitoring? |url=https://spacenews.com/are-small-satellites-the-solution-for-space-weather-monitoring/ |newspaper=[[SpaceNews]] |accessdate=2019-10-13}}</ref> WSF-M is currently contracted for launch in 2022.<ref>{{cite news |last=Foust |first=Jeff |url=https://spacenews.com/gao-takes-weather-satellite-program-off-watch-list/ |title=GAO takes weather satellite program off watch list |work=[[SpaceNews]] |date=8 March 2019 |accessdate=9 March 2019 |quote=The Defense Department, meanwhile, is addressing its own potential weather data gap with the development of the Weather System Follow-on — Microwave spacecraft. The Air Force awarded a contract to Ball Aerospace for that satellite for a 2022 launch.}}</ref>

WSF-M will be the first satellite in the Weather System Follow-on (WSF) program. Following the cancellation of the [[National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System]] (NPOESS), the [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] pursued development of a new weather satellite under the [[Defense Weather Satellite System]] (DWSS) program. However, when that system faced delays and funding issues, the White House cancelled it and instituted the WSF program.<ref>{{cite news|title=USAF Weather Satellite Program in Disarray|url=http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/181430/us-air-force-weather-satellite-program-in-disarray.html|website=defense-aerospace.com|accessdate=13 December 2017|date=23 February 2017}}</ref>

WSF-M is designed to mitigate three high priority DOD Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) gaps: ocean surface vector winds, tropical cyclone intensity and LEO energetic charged particles.<ref name="Ball"/>