Press Invited To View NASA Satellite Launch From Suitland NOAA Facility

WASHINGTON — On Oct. 28, Reporters are invited to join NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and NOAA Deputy Administrator Kathy Sullivan to view the launch of the nation’s newest Earth-observing satellite at NOAA’s Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Md. Garver and Sullivan will be available for interviews following the launch.

The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project, or NPP, is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California between 5:48 a.m. and 5:57 a.m. EDT on Oct. 28. The launch heralds a new era of climate change science and weather forecasting for the nation.

Journalists are invited to the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility Suitland Federal Campus, located at 4321 Suitland Rd. in Suitland to view the launch. Journalists wanting to attend the launch and interview Garver and Sullivan should contact NOAA’s John Leslie at john.leslie@noaa.gov or on 301-713-0214. Reporters must arrive at the facility by 5 a.m. on launch day.

After launch, NPP will be controlled from the operations center, where NOAA operates 17 U.S. and foreign environmental satellites. Data from NPP will enable NOAA to continue issuing accurate forecasts and provide advance warning for severe weather. NPP also will extend critical long-term data sets that advance Earth system science and applications supported by NASA, NOAA, and other agencies. NPP represents a critical first step in preparing for the next-generation Joint Polar Satellite System that will collect data on long-term climate change and short-term weather conditions.

For more information about the NPP mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/npp