First JPSS satellite launch delayed two months

The launch of the first next-generation polar orbiting weather satellite has slipped by two months because of issues with the spacecraft and its ground systems, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed Aug. 5. NOAA spokesman John Leslie said the launch of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) 1 spacecraft, which had been scheduled for January 2017, is now expected to take place in March. “Based on recent tests of the flight and ground systems and an assessment of the remaining work to bring the system to flight readiness, NOAA has determined it cannot meet the Jan. 20, 2017 launch date for JPSS-1 with reasonable confidence,” Leslie said in a statement provided to SpaceNews. He did not elaborate on the issues causing the delay, although sources say a problem with one of the spacecraft’s instruments may be part of the reason for the delay. More

(Source: SpaceNews - Aug 6)