NOAA-12

NOAA-12
Names	NOAA-D
Mission type	Weather
Operator	NOAA
COSPAR ID	1991-032A
SATCAT no.	21263
Mission duration	2 years (planned); 16 years (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	TIROS
Bus	TIROS-N
Manufacturer	RCA Astro Electronics
Launch mass	1,418 kg (3,126 lb)
Dry mass	735 kg (1,620 lb)
Dimensions	Spacecraft: 3.71 m × 1.88 m (12.2 ft × 6.2 ft); Solar array: 2.37 m × 4.91 m (7 ft 9 in × 16 ft 1 in)
Start of mission
Launch date	14 May 1991, 15:52:03 UTC
Rocket	Atlas-E Star-37S-ISS; (Atlas S/N 50E)
Launch site	Vandenberg, SLC-3W
Contractor	Convair
End of mission
Disposal	Decommissioned
Last contact	10 August 2007
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Sun-synchronous orbit
Perigee altitude	821 km (510 mi)
Apogee altitude	841 km (523 mi)
Inclination	98.70°
Period	101.3 minutes
AVHRR/2
Instruments
AVHRR/2	Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
TOVS	TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder
SEM	Space Environment Monitor
DCS (Argos)	Data Collection System
	TIROS program ← NOAA-11 NOAA-13 →

NOAA-12, also known as NOAA-D before launch, was an American weather satellite operated by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an operational meteorological satellite for use in the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS). The satellite design provided an economical and stable Sun-synchronous platform for advanced operational instruments to measure the atmosphere of Earth, its surface and cloud cover, and the near-space environment.^[6]

^ "Tiros N". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
^ Cite error: The named reference WMO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
^ "POES Decommissioned Satellites". United States Department of Commerce. NOAA. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
^ Cite error: The named reference Trajectory was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Display: NOAA 12 1991-032A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.