Weather System Follow-on Microwave Program: Difference between revisions

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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|accessdateaccess-date=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]] |accessdateaccess-date=2019-10-13}}</ref> WSF-M is currently contracted for launch in 2023.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bourassa |first1=M.A. |last2=Meissner |first2=T. |last3=Cerovecki |first3=I. |display-authors=1 |url=https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00443/full |title=Remotely Sensed Winds and Wind Stresses for Marine Forecasting and Ocean Modeling |journal=[[Frontiers in Marine Science]] |volume=6 |page=443 |date=23 August 2019 |accessdateaccess-date=3 January 2020 |doi=10.3389/fmars.2019.00443 |quote=The first of two planned sensors will launch in 2023.|doi-access=free }}</ref><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 |accessdateaccess-date=9 March 2019}}</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 Air Force pursued continued the development of a weather satellite under the [[Defense Weather Satellite System]] (DWSS) program based on NPOESS. 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|accessdateaccess-date=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"/>