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The Moon makes a stunning backdrop for the successful launch of the third in a series of polar-orbiting weather satellites for NOAA and our Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator on November 10th, 2022 from Vandenberg. JPSS-2 will circle the globe 14 times a day 512 miles above Earth, providing forecasters the benefit of three polar-orbiting satellites operating simultaneously, joining its predecessors Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) and NOAA 20. Following JPSS-2's deployment, the LOFTID heat shield autonomously inflated and re-entered Earth's atmosphere, splashing down about 500 miles off the coast of Hawaii just over two hours and ten minutes after launch. (Photo by United Launch Alliance/Avalon)
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