Integrated Program Office (IPO)

The NPOESS IPO was established on 3 October 1994. The IPO organizationally resides within the Department of Commerce, NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS). The IPO is staffed with personnel from the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The Departments of Commerce and Defense as well as NASA created the NPOESS Integrated Program Office (IPO) to develop, acquire, manage, and operate the next generation of polar-orbiting operational environmental satellites. As part of this effort, the United States has also partnered with the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) to provide long-term continuity of observations from polar orbit that will continue and improve the operational meteorological and environmental forecasting and global climate monitoring services for system users.

Organization of the IPO

The program's Directorate is led by representatives from each of the three participating agencies. The Acting System Program Director is Col Ed Phillips.