Suomi NPP data cut-off: preparing for the transition
· BehindLines newsroom
NOAA had set 2 November 2026 at 15:40 UTC as the end of delivery of the remaining science data from the Suomi NPP satellite. Its notice of 30 October specifies this time. The official pages consulted after this deadline describe the announced schedule, without confirming that the cut-off actually took place. The NASA page, updated on 7 October, still shows 13:00 UTC and warns that the schedule may change; the more recent NOAA notice is the one used here. This announced shutdown concerns the data provided to users; the satellite's deorbit remains planned for December.
A relay between generations of satellites
Launched on 28 October 2011, Suomi NPP was developed with NASA to test the instruments of a new generation of polar-orbiting environmental satellites. Planned to operate for five years, it far exceeded that duration.
NOAA explains this retirement by the aging of the instruments and other onboard systems. The NOAA-21 and NOAA-20 satellites now handle the main and secondary operational observation functions, whereas Suomi NPP provided supplementary measurements.
A transition that depends on the products
NASA directs users to NOAA-21 and NOAA-20 data, distributed notably through its Earthdata service. These satellites carry similar instruments. Their comparable products are meant to take over, but the teams that use the measurements must adapt their processing.
For ocean color, the NOAA CoastWatch service warns that not all products will be replaced and that temporary interruptions are unavoidable while the new series are being prepared. Datasets combining NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 observations are expected in the following weeks.
The merged sea surface temperature products, for their part, are to continue with less input data. CoastWatch plans to assess their performance. Continuity of observation therefore does not mean that every series will remain identical or available at the same time.
A re-entry prepared separately
NOAA plans to begin gradually lowering Suomi NPP's orbit on 1 December, over about twelve days, before a re-entry over the South Pacific. This schedule remains that of an upcoming operation. The announced end of data in November does not amount to a finding that an atmospheric re-entry has already occurred.