On September 21. 2000. a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
spacecraft. named NOAA-L. lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base. California.
on an Air Force-launched Titan II rocket. NOAA-L was renamed NOAA-16
after achieving orbit.
NOAA-16 is the second in a series of five newer
Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites. NOAA and NASA have been
jointly developing these satellites since 1978. with a focus on improving weather
forecasting and to monitor environmental events all across the planet.
Like other NOAA satellites. NOAA-16 collects meteorological data and transmits
the information to users around the world. In the United States.
the data is used primarily by NOAA's National Weather Service for its long-range
weather and climate forecasts.