NOAA Limits Support For Key Polar Weather Satellites, Cuts "Modernization, Flight Software Updates," And More
OAA has begun to limit the work it devotes to maintaining a pair of polar weather satellites — putting at risk the accuracy of both weather forecasts and extreme storm predictions, say former agency officials. The move, outlined in a memo obtained exclusively by POLITICO’s E&E News, calls on the agency to take a “minimum mission operations approach” to the two probes. The satellites are part of the Joint Polar Satellite System, which serves as the backbone of three- and seven-day forecasts and early warnings for hurricanes and tornadoes.
The order means NOAA won’t do much to upkeep the satellites, which orbit the Earth’s poles 14 times a day. The March 28 memo calls for the deferral of discretionary activities including “modernization product maturation, flight software updates, decommissioning planning, ground system sustainment deployment(s), special calibrations, etc.” The reason for the move is because of anticipated “reduced flight engineering support,” according to the memo. The decision to defer the satellites’ maintenance comes as the Trump administration slashes NOAA’s contracts with outside vendors and looks to cut its workforce in half.
Former NOAA officials warn the move is a short-sighted decision with potential long-term consequences. Deferring software updates and other maintenance work may save some money right now, but the approach increases the risk of failure and could drive up costs in the long-term, said Rick Spinrad, who served as NOAA administrator in the Biden administration. “As soon as you start having system glitches — and in the satellite world, system glitches are the name of the game — they’re going to fail to collect the data they need,” Spinrad said.
The stakes for failure are high. JPSS “provides the majority of data that informs numerical weather forecasting in the U.S. and delivers critical observations during severe weather events like hurricanes and blizzards,” according to NOAA. In a worst-case scenario, a failure could blind the country to a severe storm, potentially for days if the system has a significant issue, Spinrad said.
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https://www.eenews.net/articles/noaa-halts-upkeep-of-critical-weather-satellites/