NASA, THE US Department of Commerce and the US Air Force have agreed to merge the operations of their polar-orbiting weather satellites, into a single programme.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Defense Meteorological Satellite Programme (DMSP) spacecraft will become part of a three-satellite national polar-orbiting operational environmental-satellite system.
The first new spacecraft will be launched in 2006, while existing operational NOAA and DMSP spacecraft, and those being planned for launch will fulfil the programmes aims, saving $300 million to 1999.
Source: Flight International