The most important weather satellite you’ve never heard of launches to space Tuesday

After billions of dollars in cost overruns and delays, NASA is planning to launch one of the most important weather satellites ever early Tuesday morning.

The Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, satellite — which will be invaluable for improving forecasting, detecting lost sailors, aiding firefighters, and other applications — is expected to blast off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 1:47 a.m. PT, or 4:47 a.m. ET, aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. 

The JPSS-1 is the first in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) next-generation of four polar-orbiting satellites that provide the majority of data streamed into weather forecasting models.  Read more…

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