The Weather System Follow-on Microwave (WSF-M) satellite is the United States Department of Defense's next-generation operational environmental satellite system. WSF-M will be a Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite with a passive microwave imaging radiometer instrument and hosted furnished Energetic Charged Particle (ECP) sensor.[3][4] Space Operations Command intends to include ECP sensors on all future satellites for space weather monitoring, starting from the early 2020s.[5] WSF-M was launched in April 2024 on a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.[1][2]
| Names | WSF-M1 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Space weather |
| Operator | USSF |
| COSPAR ID | 2024-070A |
| SATCAT no. | 86381 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Ball Aerospace & Technologies |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 11 April 2024, 14:25 UTC[1][2] |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 Cargo |
| Launch site | Vandenberg |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous orbit |
| Instruments | |
| Microwave imaging radiometer | |
WSF-M will be the first satellite in the Weather System Follow-on (WSF) program. Following the cancellation of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), the Air Force continued the development of a weather satellite under the Defense Weather Satellite System (DWSS) program based on NPOESS. However, when that system faced delays and funding issues, the White House cancelled it and instituted the WSF program.[6]
WSF-M is designed to mitigate three high priority U.S. DoD Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) gaps: ocean surface vector winds, tropical cyclone intensity and LEO energetic charged particles.[4]
References
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- ^ a b @USSF_SSC (27 May 2022). "SSC ordered 8 National Security Space Launch missions from our industry partners ULA & SpaceX for launch in 2024 for #SpaceForce" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 May 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b "Ball Aerospace Ships Space Systems Command Operational Weather Satellite for Launch". 6 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "WSF-M (Weather System Follow-on - Microwave) Satellite". eoPortal. ESA. March 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ^ a b Russell, Kendall (30 November 2017). "Ball Aerospace Wins Air Force Contract for New Weather Satellite". Satellite Today. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
- ^ Werner, Debra (6 March 2019). "Are small satellites the solution for space weather monitoring?". SpaceNews. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- ^ "USAF Weather Satellite Program in Disarray". defense-aerospace.com. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.