NOAA-20 VIIRS Thermal Emissive Bands On-Orbit Performance

Abstract: The VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instrument onboard the NOAA-20 satellite (launched on November 18, 2017) started to collect Earth-view data after its nadir door opened on December 13, 2017. Seven of the VIIRS bands, I4-5 and M12-16 are thermal emissive bands (TEBs), covering a spectral range from 3.6 to 12.5 meters. They began collecting valid data after the cold focal plane assembly (CFPA) cooled down to its nominal operating temperature on January 6, 2018. This paper w…