Weather Watchers

DMSP-14 lifts off aboard a Titan 23G rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, in April 1997. The story of DMSP-14 highlights the sweep and longevity of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. Decommissioned in February 2020, DMSP-14 provided global weather data to the U.S. and its allies for more than 22 years and completed 118,052 orbits around Earth. DMSP satellites were designed to operate just three to five years each. The program served military customers at first until it was expanded to civilian use. More than 40 satellites made up the DMSP system, with the first launch taking place in 1962. The final two satellites in the system are nearing the end of their operational lives.