Latest news with #WSF-M
New York Post
2 days ago
- Climate
- New York Post
Vital hurricane satellites to go dark weeks into Atlantic storm season— and NOAA rips media for causing panic
Vital hurricane-tracking satellites are expected to go dark just weeks into the Atlantic storm season — and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is pointing fingers at the media for fueling panic behind the shutdown while clarifying that crucial data will still be gathered. The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), jointly owned by NOAA and the Department of Defense and responsible for critical collecting environmental and weather data, will cease operations Monday amid a string of federal cuts to the administration, the agency announced Wednesday. 'The service change and termination will be permanent,' officials stated in the announcement without providing a reason for ending the crucial service or information about a possible replacement. Advertisement 4 A NOAA spokesperson clarified that a microwave instrument on another satellite will still provide crucial readings. REUTERS A NOAA spokesperson, however, was quick to cast blame on newscasters for 'criticizing' scientists and reporting the service change in a way that could incite public outrage — later clarifying that a microwave instrument on another satellite will still provide crucial readings. 'The DMSP is a single dataset in a robust suit of hurricane forecasting and modeling tools in the NWS portfolio, which also includes microwave sensing data via the recently launched WSF-M satellite, which was the planned replacement for the DPSM program,' Kim Doster told The Post Friday. Advertisement 'The routine process of data rotation and replacement would go unnoticed in past administrations, but the media is insistent on criticizing the great work that NOAA and its dedicated scientists perform every day.' 4 A meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center monitors weather patterns. AFP via Getty Images Despite the terse explanation, experts remain concerned that limited data will hinder efforts to track hurricanes, detect changes in storm structure, and accurately predict a storm's path in real-time. Forecasters depend on polar-orbiting satellites equipped with microwave sensors to track winds speeds and other data connected to intensifying tropical storms and hurricanes — especially at night when other observation methods are limited. Advertisement 'This is an incredibly big hit for hurricane forecasts, and for the tens of millions of Americans who live in hurricane-prone areas,' Michael Lowry, a hurricane specialist in South Florida, told the New York Times. 4 While the military satellites with remain in orbit, their data will not longer be processed by the federal government. REUTERS 'The nightmare scenario is going to bed with a tropical storm and waking up to a hurricane,' he added, explaining that soon-to-be suspended satellite streams are key to preventing a jarring 'sunrise surprise.' With microwave observations also allow meteorologists to locate a storm's center, Lowry warned that being off by even a few miles can have 'huge ramifications.' Advertisement While the military satellites with remain in orbit, their data will not longer be processed by the federal government. 4 NOAA logo on a blue and white surface. AFP /AFP via Getty Images 'We don't want to have less data for no reason,' Andy Hazelton, a hurricane modeling expert at the University of Miami, told the outlet. 'We already don't get as much microwave data as we'd like to see operationally.' The news of the program's suspension came just two days after Tropical Storm Andrea, the first named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, formed in the central Atlantic Ocean Tuesday morning. Hurricane season typically lasts through the end of November. The White House and Department of Defense did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Space Force weather satellite deemed ready for forecasts
The Space Force said Thursday its newest weather satellite is now operational and will soon be collecting and sharing key weather data with military planners and operators. The satellite, built by Ball Aerospace, is part of the Space Force's Weather Satellite Follow-on program, or WSF-M. The spacecraft launched more than a year ago and is a first step toward upgrading the service's military weather constellation, which has been on orbit for 60 years. Col. Robert Davis, who leads Space Systems Command's sensing portfolio, said in a statement the satellite's on-orbit testing went more smoothly than the service expected. 'The operational acceptance of the WSF-M satellite is a pivotal milestone in the Space Force's focus on transitioning toward a more affordable, scalable and resilient weather satellite constellation,' Davis said. The Space Force is in the midst of replacing its legacy weather satellite constellation, and WSF-M and its companion program are meant to be a bridge to a future capability. As part of the work, the Space Force is considering a hybrid architecture that would include a mix of smaller, less expensive satellites, commercial systems and government-owned spacecraft. While the service maps out that approach, its current weather satellite capability – the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, or DMSP – is operating past its service life and is projected to start running out of fuel next year. DMSP sensors can measure things like moisture in the atmosphere, cloud cover and precipitation. The Pentagon has been trying for more than 20 years to develop a replacement for DMSP. In the '90s it kicked off the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System. The effort was canceled after repeated cost and schedule breaches. Lawmakers canceled a second attempt, the Defense Weather Satellite System, in 2012 due to mismanagement. The Space Force's current plan for augmenting those sensors while it crafts a long-term strategy is to split the requirements between two programs – WSF-M and the Electro-Optical Weather System, or EWS. The WSF-M satellites will be able to detect wind speeds and tropical storm intensity and determine snow and soil depth. The EWS satellites will use electro-optical infrared sensors to provide visual imagery of cloud cover and forecasting data to inform military missions. The Space Force plans to launch a second WSF-M satellite in 2028. It has already launched an EWS cubesat built by Orion Space Systems and plans to fly two more EWS spacecraft built by General Atomics – one this year and a second in 2027.
