NOAA weather satellites have provided US Citizens with advance warning of extreme weather for more than 50 years. Satellites are vital for the weather forecasts NOAA provides to the American public-at-large: our farmers, airport staff, political decision makers, emergency workers and state, local and Federal governmental agencies, business and emergency managers. The frequency and severity of the extreme weather events, as recent as Hurricane Sandy, serve as a reminder of the importance of maintaining all the critical tools necessary for accurate weather forecasting, including these observations provided by satellites.

NOAA operates satellites in two complementary orbits: Geostationary satellites, which constantly monitor a fixed area on the Earth from a perch over 22,300 miles above the Earth; and Polar-Orbiting satellites, which circle the Earth around 500 miles above the surface providing information and observations over the entire Earth - land, ocean and atmosphere, from pole to pole.

For more information about NOAA Satellites, visit NESDIS NOAA Satellite Legacy [PDF]. To learn more about NOAA's satellite programs, visit NESDIS Satellite Information page