NPP weather and climate satellite launches

[n2doc]

By Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent, BBC News

The US has launched NPP, its $1.5bn (£0.9bn) next-generation weather and climate satellite.

NNP rode into its polar orbit on a Delta II rocket, lifting away from the Vandenberg, California, spaceport at 02:48 local time (09:48 GMT).

NPP must test new-style Earth observing instruments while at the same time providing operational data to meteorologists for general forecasting.

The satellite is a joint effort between US space agency Nasa and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), with input from the Department of Defense.

It has five instruments on board that will monitor a wide range of land, ocean, and atmospheric phenomena - from the temperature and humidity of the air, to the spread of algal blooms in the ocean; and from the amount of sunlight bouncing off clouds to the extent of Arctic ice.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15488016