No JavaScript detected Usage of this Website
will be severly limited without JavaScript. Please enable
JavaScript in your Browser.
Satellite Programme:
Defense Meteorological Satellite Program - Block 5D-2
Programme details
Programme description
The DMSP Block 5D-2 series includes 9 flight units.
Major improvement in respect of the Block 5D-1 series: introduction of MW imagery and sounding.
The Department of Defense (DoD), specifically the US Air Force (USAF), is responsible of development and operations. NOAA supports the ground segment and provides linkage with the meteorological community.
The platforms are actively stabilised over 3 axes.
The design lifetime is 3 years.
Two sunsynchronous orbits are exploited at any time, around 5.30 and 7.30 respectively.
The replacement policy is based on launches at roughly 2-year intervals, alternatively in the early-morning and the mid-morning orbits.
See detailed description at https://directory.eoportal.org/missions/dmsp-block-5d
Data circulation
Onboard stored and real-time data are downlinked to USAF sites and other appointed military sites, as well as to NOAA sites.
Data are encrypted, thus not ordinarily available.
NOAA is responsible of disseminating MW data to the meteorological community.
Agencies
DoD
, NOAA
Programme lifetime
1982 - 2017
Associated satellites and instruments
Note: red tag => no longer operational , green tag => operational
, blue tag => planned
Defense Meteorological Satellite Program - Block 5D-2
OSCAR/Space Version 2.6 released
OSCAR/Space Version 2.6 was released including new features related to Gap Analysis and satellite status information. With version 2.6 OSCAR/Space has a new URL; https://space.oscar.wmo.int . Please read more via the link here .