OMPS Instrument for Weather Satellite Delivered by Ball
The OMPS (Ozone Mapping Profile Suite) instrument for integration onto NOAA's Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) weather satellite has been delivered by Ball Aerospace.
"This is the third OMPS instrument Ball has delivered, with two currently in orbit providing critical ozone data. These measurements are used by forecasters at the National Weather Service to produce ultraviolet (UV) radiation forecasts, by researchers to track the health of the ozone layer and by policy makers to help improve life on Earth."
Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, vice president and general manager, Civil Space, Ball Aerospace.
"Ball has been a part of ozone measurements from space for more than 40 years, and we are excited now to ship the OMPS instrument for integration onto NOAA's next polar-orbiting operational weather satellite," said Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, vice president and general manager, Civil Space, Ball Aerospace. "This is the third OMPS instrument Ball has delivered, with two currently in orbit providing critical ozone data. These measurements are used by forecasters at the National Weather Service to produce ultraviolet (UV) radiation forecasts, by researchers to track the health of the ozone layer and by policy makers to help improve life on Earth."
The OMPS instrument observes stratospheric ozone and measures its concentration as it varies with altitude. It is a three-part hyperspectral instrument, which includes a Nadir Mapper that will map global ozone with about 50-km ground resolution, a Nadir Profiler that will measure the vertical distribution of ozone in the stratosphere and the NASA-provided Limb Profiler that measures ozone in the lower stratosphere and troposphere with high vertical resolution.
A collaboration between NOAA and NASA, JPSS is the United States’ most advanced series of polar-orbiting environmental satellites. It provides significant technological and scientific advancements for severe weather prediction and environmental monitoring. These data are critical to the timeliness and accuracy of forecasts three to seven days in advance of a severe weather event.
Ball has designed and manufactured nearly 20 instruments to map and monitor stratospheric ozone, including a series of Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) instruments for NASA and nine Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Radiometer (SBUV/2) instruments that have flown on an earlier generation NOAA polar-orbiting satellites.
(Image provided with Ball Aerospace news release)