The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) is a United States Space Force program focused on monitoring meteorological, oceanographic, and solar-terrestrial physics to support the Department of Defense. As a satellite program, DMSP designs, builds, launches, and maintains satellites that collect weather data, including cloud cover imagery, atmospheric profiles, and space weather parameters. This data is crucial for U.S. military operations, providing secure global weather and space weather information, and supporting NOAA's operational forecasts, especially in polar regions. DMSP works with partners such as NOAA, who provide on-orbit operations, and utilizes sensors developed and acquired by the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC). Keywords associated with the program include weather satellites, military meteorology, space weather, and Earth observation.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
The EO/IR Weather System program is designed to replace the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program.
The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program constellation used two primary spectral bands.
The RFI is part of a broader Department of Defense strategy to transition away from large, monolithic legacy satellites like the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program.
DMSP-5D2 F14 is a 750-kilogram satellite that was launched in 1997 as part of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program and operated in a sun-synchronous orbit.
The U.S. Space Force is purchasing small weather satellites to replace the larger spacecraft launched under the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program.
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems will build and integrate a second Electro-Optical Weather System satellite to extend electro-optical/infrared data collection capabilities as legacy Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellites are retired.
The Space Force’s planned EO/IR satellites need to be deployed by 2025 before the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellites run out of fuel.
EWS satellites will replace aging Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites that are projected to stop working sometime between late 2023 and 2026.
The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft are expected to reach end of service life between late 2023 and 2026.
Military weather satellites include the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program and the Electro-Optical/Infrared Weather System–Geostationary (EWS-G).
NESDIS plans to begin launching satellites equipped with sounders into low Earth orbit in the mid-2020s to fill data gaps created by the anticipated retirement of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program and NOAA’s Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites.
The Electro Optical/Infrared Weather System program seeks to deploy a constellation of satellites to provide weather data before the current Defense Meteorological Satellite Program constellation ceases operations.