Gathering data to monitor and understand our dynamic planet

Satellite icon above graphic of the earth
About NOAA Satellites

The NOAA Satellite and Information Service provides timely access to global environmental data from satellites and other sources to monitor and understand our dynamic Earth. We manage the Nation's operational environmental satellites and deliver data and information services such as Earth system monitoring and official assessments of the environment.

Orbiting 1 million miles from Earth

DSCOVR, NOAA’s first operational satellite in deep space, orbits a million miles from Earth in order to provide early warnings of potentially harmful space weather.

14 times a day

JPSS satellites circle the Earth from pole-to-pole and cross the equator 14 times daily allowing for full global coverage twice a day.

39,000 people saved using satellites

39,000 people worldwide have been saved by the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System (COSPAS-SARSAT). When a distress signal is activated, NOAA satellites transmit the signal to ground stations around the world, alerting search and rescuers.

25-30 years of data

Scientific models show an accelerating trend in sea level rise, but it will take 25-30 years of observations from satellites like Jason-3 before we can confirm this trend.

22,300 miles

NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, or GOES, orbit 22,300 miles above the equator at speeds equal to Earth's rotation, which means they maintain their position over one fixed location.

5 seconds

It takes just over 5 seconds for data from NOAA's DSCOVR satellite, located a million miles away from Earth, to get back to the planet.