Contact: Gary Davis FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOAA NESDIS 12/30/94
(301) 457-5130
Brian Dunbar
NASA Headquarters
(202) 358-0873
Jim Elliott
Goddard Space Flight Center
(301) 286-6256
The nation's newest environmental satellite used for weather forecasting and atmospheric research was launched today from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced.
NOAA-J will provide information about the Earth's oceans and atmosphere, including location and size of severe storms, temperatures of the atmosphere, sea and land, the size of the ozone hole, and the location and amount of dust from volcanoes, which can cause hazards to airplanes. The spacecraft will circle the Earth every 102 minutes from a distance of 541 statute miles.
The satellite will be known as NOAA-14 in orbit. NOAA assigns a letter to its satellites before launch, and a number once the satellite has achieved orbit. NOAA-J will carry seven scientific instruments, two for search and rescue, and a data collection system.
NOAA currently operates two polar-orbiting satellites, NOAA- 11 and NOAA-12. NOAA-J will replace NOAA-11, which was launched in 1988. NOAA-13, launched in August 1993, suffered a power failure 12 days after launch, and all attempts to command the spacecraft have been unsuccessful.
The NOAA-J spacecraft was built by Martin Marietta/Astro Space, Princeton, N.J. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., is responsible for the construction, integration and launch of the satellite. Operational control of the spacecraft moves to NOAA after it is checked out in orbit.