Instruments and Satellites¶
The application currently supports imagery from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the AQUA and TERRA satellites, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Suomi-NPP and JPSS series satellites, and the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) onboard the Sentinel-3 series satellites operated by the European Space Agency (ESA).
These instruments are imaging spectrometers onboard polar-orbiting satellites.
Satellite Platforms¶
| Platform | Instrument | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terra | MODIS | 24 February 2000 | February 20271 |
| Aqua | MODIS | 4 July 2002 | September 20271 |
| Suomi-NPP | VIIRS | 19 January 2012 | November 1, 20262 |
| NOAA-20 | VIIRS | 5 January 2018 | - |
| NOAA-21 | VIIRS | 10 February 2023 | - |
| NOAA-22 | VIIRS | expected 20273 | - |
| NOAA-23 | VIIRS | expected 20323 | - |
| Sentinel-3A | OLCI | 16 February 2016 | - |
| Sentinel-3B | OLCI | 25 April 2016 | - |
| Sentinel-3C4 | OLCI | 15 September 2026 | - |
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The Terra and Aqua platforms are expected to shutdown in late 2026/early 2027. For more information see Transition from MODIS to VIIRS (NASA Earthdata) ↩↩
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On August 7, 2026 it was announced the NASA will cease delivery of data from instruments aboard Suomi-NPP at 13:00 UTC on November 1, 2026. For more information see Suomi NPP Data Product Delivery to Cease on November 1, 2026 (NASA Earthdata) ↩
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The next satellites in NOAA's Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) are in development for launch readiness in 2027 and 2032. For more information see Joint Polar Satellite System (NOAA) and JPSS (NASA) ↩↩
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Sentinel-3C will be added at a future date when data becomes available ↩