The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has extended the termination date for critical weather satellite data to July 31, 2025, following an initial announcement that would have ended the service on June 30. The extension comes after NASA requested additional time and amid significant backlash from the meteorological community during the peak of hurricane season.
NOAA announced in a service change notice dated June 25, 2025, that it would permanently cease importing, processing, and distributing data from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS) and other Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) instruments. The decision affects data from three operational weather satellites (F-16, F-17, and F-18) that are managed jointly by NOAA and the U.S. Department of Defense.
The termination is being attributed to DMSP no longer meeting the military’s information technology modernization requirements. According to statements from the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, the decision aligns with Department of Defense policy and information technology modernization requirements.
A Space Force official confirmed that “satellites and instruments are still functional” and that Defense Department users will continue to receive DMSP data through direct readout terminals. However, the broader scientific and meteorological communities will lose access to this critical information.
The timing of the data termination has drawn sharp criticism from meteorologists and hurricane experts, as it occurs during what NOAA has predicted to be an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season.
The SSMIS instruments provide unique capabilities that other weather satellites cannot replicate. Unlike visible and infrared satellites that only capture cloud-top details, SSMIS uses microwave technology to penetrate clouds and examine the inner structure of tropical cyclones, including their exact centers. This capability is particularly crucial for nighttime observations when other satellite imagery becomes ineffective.
The loss of this data could lead to what forecasters call “sunrise surprises” — situations where storms are discovered to be much stronger than previously predicted.
NOAA officials have indicated that replacement capabilities are being developed. Kim Doster, NOAA’s communications director, stated that the changes are part of the “routine process of data rotation and replacement” and noted that the recently launched USSF WSF-M satellite was planned as the DMSP program’s replacement.
However, researchers at NSIDC acknowledge that alternative sensors like AMSR2 are “not yet fully intercalibrated” with SSMIS data, and users will notice differences between the products. The development of properly intercalibrated replacement systems is expected to take considerable time.
Beyond hurricane forecasting, the SSMIS data termination will significantly impact climate research, particularly studies of polar sea ice extent and global atmospheric conditions. The instruments have provided continuous measurements since 2003, creating a valuable long-term climate record that researchers worldwide have relied upon for studies of Earth’s changing climate system.
The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program has operated since the 1960s, with the current SSMIS-equipped satellites operating well beyond their expected lifespans.
