QuickSounder

Quick facts

Overview

Summary

Mission Capabilities

QuickSounder will carry a refurbished Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS), the same instrument used by the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) series of satellites. ATMS provides vital information about physical properties of Earth’s atmosphere, land, and oceans, including temperature, humidity, and cloud  profiles.
The mission is a demonstrator for the future NEON constellation, intended to provide continuity to NOAA’s polar observation efforts and eventually replace the JPSS satellite series. Additionally, it aims to improve the accuracy of short- to medium-term weather forecasts.

Performance Specifications

The QuickSounder satellite is designed to operate in a sun-synchronous Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with an inclination of 98.7°. Positioned at an altitude of 824 km, QuickSounder will complete each orbit in approximately 101 minutes, providing a repeat cycle of 16 days.
ATMS utilises a cross-track scanning technique, performing 96 measurement steps at 16 km sampling intervals, covering a swath width of 2200 km. Additionally, the instrument’s along-track scanning technique captures 16 km lines in less than three seconds. The spatial resolution varies by channel frequency, at 16 km between 165-183 GHz, 32 km between 50-90 GHz, and 75 km between 23-32 GHz. 22 channels within this frequency range allow ATMS to see through clouds and observe hurricanes.

Space and Hardware Components

The QuickSounder mission utilises a customised spacecraft bus engineered by the Southwest Research Institute, derived from the SwSP-100 platform. This modified bus has a mass of approximately 400 kg and is equipped with a solar array assembly designed to deliver a power output of 870 W. ATMS requires 93 W of power and delivers data at 20 Kbps.

Overview

QuickSounder is the first planned satellite of the Near Earth Orbit Network (NEON) program. Its mission is to collect weather data from low Earth orbit to support the improved accuracy of short- to medium-term weather forecasting, as well as the detection of weather events such as storms and hurricanes.

The satellite will be developed by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) on behalf of NASA, while NOAA will handle key post-launch services including mission control and data analysis.

QuickSounder serves as a proof of concept for NASA, testing the feasibility of significantly shorter development times. Unlike previous generations of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, which typically take over a decade to develop, QuickSounder is designed to be completed in a much shorter time frame. 1) 5)

Spacecraft

QuickSounder will use a custom spacecraft developed, fabricated, and tested by SwRI at their Space System Integration Facility in San Antonio, United States.

The spacecraft bus is based on the SwSP-100 platform, measuring 0.8 m x 1.14 m, with a mass of approximately 211 kg, excluding the solar array assembly and payload. It also includes xenon propellant for its electric propulsion thruster. The solar array assembly provides a power output of 870 W, of which 93 W is needed by ATMS for operation. 3) 5)

Launch

Firefly Aerospace has been selected by NASA to provide launch services for the QuickSounder mission, conducted on behalf of NOAA. The mission will utilise Firefly's Alpha rocket to deliver the QuickSounder satellite to orbit. The launch is scheduled to take place at Firefly’s SLC-2 launch site, located at the Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States. 7)

Mission Status

• January 8, 2024: Southwest Research Institute was awarded a contract to develop QuickSounder weather satellite. 7)
• September 23, 2024: NASA has selected Firefly Aerospace as the launch provider for QuickSounder mission. 5)

Sensor Complement

Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS)

The ATMS instrument used on the QuickSounder satellite is capable of utilising both cross-track and along-track scanning techniques. The cross-track method performs 96 measurement steps at 16 km sampling intervals, covering a swath width of 2200 km, while the along-track method captures 16 km-wide lines in approximately three second intervals.

The instrument’s spatial resolution varies by channel frequency (see Table 1).

With a total of 22 channels, the ATMS is capable of scanning through clouds by utilising its very high-frequency channels. The instrument has a mass of 75.4 kg and requires 93 W of power to operate. 2) 8)

Ground Segment

The NEON program will integrate a number of ground facilities to accompany the instruments hosted on the satellites in orbit. These facilities will be responsible for the Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C) services for NEON.

The ATMS instrument on the QuickSounder satellite will feature a data transmission rate of 20 kbps, which allows QuickSounder to transmit up to 95% of its recorded data within 30 minutes. 1)

References  

1. “Near Earth Orbit Network (NEON),” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, URL: https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/future-programs/near-earth-orbit-network-neon
2. “QuickSounder Satellite Mission Summary," The CEOS Database, URL: https://database.eohandbook.com/database/missionsummary.aspx?missionID=1461
3. Peña L, “Episode 69: QuickSounder Environmental Satellite," Southwest Research Institute. Published July 29, 2024. Accessed November 01, 2024. https://www.swri.org/podcast/ep69
4. “Observing Systems Capability Analysis and Review Tool,” World Meteorological Organization. Accessed November 01, 2024. https://space.oscar.wmo.int/instruments/view/atms
5. “SwRI awarded $54 million contract to develop QuickSounder weather satellite,” Southwest Research Institute, January 2024, URL: https://www.swri.org/press-release/swri-awarded-54-million-contract-develop-quicksounder-weather-satellite
6. “NASA Selects Launch Provider for New NOAA Environmental Satellite,” NASA, September 2024, URL: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-launch-provider-for-new-noaa-environmental-satellite/
7. “Firefly Aerospace Awarded NASA Contract to Launch NOAA’s QuickSounder Spacecraft,” Firefly Aerospace, September 2024, URL: https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-awarded-nasa-contract-to-launch-noaas-quicksounder-spacecraft/
8. “ATMS Instrument Summary,” The CEOS Database, URL: https://database.eohandbook.com/database/instrumentsummary.aspx?instrumentID=413