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NOAA-L was successfully launched by a Titan II launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB, CA on September 21, 2000.
The spacecraft provides a polar-orbiting platform to support (1) environmental monitoring instruments for imaging and measuring the Earth's atmosphere, its surface, and cloud cover, including Earth radiation, atmospheric ozone, aerosol distribution, sea surface temperature, and vertical temperature and water profiles in the troposphere and stratosphere; (2) measurement of proton and electron flux at orbit altitude; (3) data collection from remote platforms; and (4) the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system.
Additionally, NOAA-L is the second in the series of support dedicated microwave instruments for the generation of temperature, moisture, surface, and hydrological products in cloudy regions where visible and infrared (IR) instruments have decreased capability. |
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| MAIN SPACECRAFT DESIGN ELEMENTS |
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| Mission Life |
Greater than 2 years |
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| Dimensions |
Length
13.75 ft. (4.2 m)
Width
6.2 ft. (1.88 m)
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Weight
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Launch
4920 lbs. (2231.7 kg.)
* Weight includes 756.7 kg of expendable fuel
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| Solar Array |
8.96 ft. x 20.16 ft. (2.73 by 6.14 m) |
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Load Power
Requirements |
833 watts for 0 ° Sun Angle
750 watts for 0 ° Sun Angle |
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