Space Systems Command Completes Cloud Monitoring Mission After Nearly Two Decades

The Space Systems Command’s Innovation and Prototyping Acquisition Delta has completed its mission of providing scientists with data on Earth’s atmospheric conditions from space.

The CloudSat mission executed its final command on March 20, ending its operations after nearly 18 years of being the country’s first effort to better understand the impact of cloud profiles and physical properties.

The recently launched Weather System Follow-on Microwave satellite succeeds the CloudSat mission, providing the nation with environmental monitoring capabilities, the U.S. Space Force said.

Col. Joe Roth, director of the Innovation and Prototyping Acquisition Delta and commander of Space Systems Center, Detachment 1, said that the CloudSat mission gave the United States a trove of scientific discoveries that will help in better understanding the planet’s climate and improve weather forecasting.

The new BAE Systems-made weather monitoring satellite offers the Space Force essential environmental data needed to support warfighters’ missions around the world, ensuring they conduct missions safely. It provides a wide range of information, including ocean wind velocity and tropical cyclone intensity.