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System Overview
The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) is a space-and ground-based system used for collection and timely dissemination of global environmental data to the DOD and other governmental agencies. This environmental data consists of visible (V) and infrared (IR) cloud cover and other specialized meteorological, oceanographic, and solar-geophysical information required to support the warfighter. 
DMSP satellites are in a near polar orbiting, sun synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 458nm (830km). Each DMSP satellite monitors the atmospheric, oceanographic and solar-geophysical environment of the Earth. Each satellite crosses any point on the earth up to two times a day and has an orbital period of about 101 minutes thus providing nearly complete global coverage of clouds every six hours. The visible and infrared sensors collect images of global cloud distribution across a 3,000 km swath during both daytime and nighttime conditions. The coverage of the microwave imager and sounders are one-half the visible and infrared sensors coverage, thus they cover the polar regions above 60 degrees on a twice-daily basis but the equatorial region on a daily basis. The space environmental sensors record along track plasma densities, velocities, composition and drifts. 
Above Figure: The DMSP space segment transmits data in real time to shipboard and ground based tactical terminals. Stored mission data is downlinked to the ground stations for relay to Air Force Weather Agency and Fleet Numerical Meteorology Oceanography Center (FNMOC). The C3 Segment provides command and control of the DMSP spacecraft. DMSP is composed of the Space Segment, the Command, Control, and Communications Segment (C3S), and the User Segment. The principal function of the Space Segment is to continually acquire environmental data through its satellite sensors. Mission Data downlinks include both stored data and real time transmissions. Raw sensor data is stored onboard the satellite for delayed transmission to the C3S. Subsequently, the data is relayed to strategic elements of the User Segment for ground processing into environmental data records and analysis. Raw data is also be transmitted directly from the Space Segment to tactical elements of the User Segment for ground processing and analysis. |