NPOESS 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 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 Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) 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.
Agency ResponsibilitiesThe program's Directorate is led by representatives from each of the three participating agencies. The Acting System Program Director is Col. Alec Robinson.
  |
The DOC through NOAA has overall responsibility for the program, as well as for satellite command, control and communications (C3) operations |
  |
The DoD through the Air Force has the primary responsibility to acquire and support the converged satellites |
 |
NASA has lead responsibility for facilitating development and insertion of new cost-effective technologies that may enhance the ability of the converged system to meet its operational requirements |
