Uploaded November 2022 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
This video provides a behind-the-scenes look at the JPSS-2 Mission Operations Support Team (MOST) at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, MD as they rehearsed for the November 10, 2022 JPSS-2 launch.
To learn more about JPSS, visit:
nesdis.noaa.gov/about/our-offices/joint-polar-satellite-system-jpss-program-office
This video provides a behind-the-scenes look at the JPSS-2 Mission Operations Support Team (MOST) at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, MD as they rehearsed for the November 10, 2022 JPSS-2 launch.
To learn more about JPSS, visit:
nesdis.noaa.gov/about/our-offices/joint-polar-satellite-system-jpss-program-office



![NOAA-21 is Operational
NOAA-21 is now fully operational in NOAA’s fleet of polar-orbiting satellites that provide critical data to improve the accuracy of 3-to-7 day weather forecasts – including extreme weather events – and monitor climate change.
The newest satellite in the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) constellation, NOAA-21 launched on November 10, 2022, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, joining NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP in orbit. NOAA-21 is flying half an orbit, or 50 minutes, ahead of NOAA-20, with Suomi NPP between them. Each orbit the Earth from the North to the South Pole 14 times a day, providing complete global data coverage twice daily. These satellites take measurements and images that help monitor hurricanes, snowstorms, floods, wildfires, and also the ozone layer.
Learn more:
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/noaa-21-operational
Credits:
NOAA
NASA
Music: “A New Story” by Paul Louis Reeves, Atmosphere Music LTD [UPM]; Volta Music; Universal Production Music NOAA-21 is Operational](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Yvo837K89w4/mqdefault.jpg)
![Hurricane Otis Causes Catastrophic Damage in Acapulco, Mexico
On Wednesday, Oct. 25, Hurricane Otis made landfall near Acapulco, on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, at 1:25 a.m. CDT as a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 165 mph. The storm had rapidly intensified off the coast, and according to the National Hurricane Center, Otis was the strongest hurricane in the Eastern Pacific to make landfall in the satellite era.
Because the storm intensified so quickly, with wind speeds increasing by 115 mph within 24 hours, the more than one million people living in and around the city had very little time to prepare for the monster storm ahead of landfall. Only one other storm on record, Hurricane Patricia in 2015, exceeded Otis’ rapid intensification in the Eastern Pacific, with a 120-mph increase in 24 hours.
Credits:
NOAA
NASA
CIRA
Music: “Dark Mist” by Benson Taylor [PRS]; A Remarkable Idea; Universal Production Music Hurricane Otis Causes Catastrophic Damage in Acapulco, Mexico](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Yxsrcoy0Kok/mqdefault.jpg)
![Lightning Safety
Lightning is a dangerous weather hazard that poses a significant threat to life and property. It can strike at any time, but is most common in the summer months.
For National Lightning Safety Awareness Week (June 22-28, 2025), NOAA is highlighting the capabilities of its Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instrument onboard the GOES-18 (GOES West) and GOES-19 (GOES East) satellites.
Learn more:
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/lightning-safety-awareness-week-detecting-lightning-space
Credits:
NOAA
NASA
Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado State University
LightningCast imagery courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) at the University of Wisonsin-Madison.
Music:
“In The Frame” by Aaron Frederick Lazlo Wheeler [PRS]; Abbey Road Masters; Universal Production Music Lightning Safety](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z9TY4fWqmGg/mqdefault.jpg)
![Great Lakes Ice at Historic Low
For the second consecutive year, ice cover on the Great Lakes remains significantly below average for this time of year, which typically sees the peak of ice cover at levels around 53 percent. As of February 11, total ice coverage across all lakes measured a mere 2.7 percent. Lakes Erie and Ontario are basically at—or tied with—their respective historic lows for this time of year, making both essentially ice-free. This record low ice cover is largely attributed to unusually warm temperatures throughout the region in December, paired with the generally short duration of Arctic air blasts.
Credits:
NOAA, NASA, CIRA
Music:
“Elegy of the Ice” by JC Lemay [SACEM]; Koka Media; Universal Production Music
Learn more:
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/great-lakes-ice-reaches-historic-low Great Lakes Ice at Historic Low](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Zb0LDu_O884/mqdefault.jpg)


![Earth from Orbit: Solar Flare Erupts
On Oct. 28, 2021, NOAA’s GOES East satellite observed a strong solar flare with its Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUVI) at 11:35 am ET. The flare produced aurora (northern lights) that were visible across Canada and as far south as Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Oregon. The JPSS satellites were able to capture imagery of these aurora via their VIIRS instrument, showing their extent.
Solar flares—an important type of space weather—are localized, explosive outbursts on the Sun, and can generate intense radiation in the form of X-rays and energetic particles that can sometimes affect Earth. Because this radiation often travels at or near the speed of light, it can reach the Earth within about 8 minutes. Flares are often linked to eruptions, called coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which hurl massive clouds of magnetized plasma far into space, plowing right through the continuous flow of charged particles that normally stream from the Sun, called solar wind, and can reach Earth in up to three days.
NOAA satellites help monitor the activity of the Sun and when solar flares, or coronal mass ejections occur. Since these events can happen unpredictably and some can reach Earth within minutes, NOAAs Space Weather Prediction Center uses this information to monitor the activity on the Sun and makes forecasts, predictions, and alerts.
Read more:
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Credits:
NOAA
NASA
CIRA
SUVI imagery courtesy of CIRES and additional imagery provided by CIMSS.
Music:
“Solar Swells,” by Jason Steele [ASCAP]; Universal Production Music Earth from Orbit: Solar Flare Erupts](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_hnUnCSJIB0/mqdefault.jpg)
![NOAA Satellites Track Blazing Wildfires in Chile
Record summer temperatures of more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in the Southern Hemisphere are hampering efforts to tackle a large wildfire outbreak of at least 231 individual fires across central Chile. The fires have killed at least 26 people, left at least 1,182 injured, destroyed 1,100 homes and prompted the declaration of a state of emergency in three regions.
Read more:
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/noaa-satellites-track-blazing-wildfires-chile
Credits:
NOAA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
CIRA
Music: “Never Again” by Benjamin W. Walker [PRS] & David Gerard Lawrence [PRS]; Music House; Universal Production Music NOAA Satellites Track Blazing Wildfires in Chile](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_um6xDmTv3g/mqdefault.jpg)