polar satellite

Polar-orbiting
weather satellites

Below are checklists of polar-orbiting weather satellites, launch dates, and images of the satellites. This is a work in progress, and completeness is our goal. If readers know of additional information or images, please contact the authors using the e-mail addresses at the bottom of this page.

Satellite series covered on this page:

U.S. Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite (TIROS) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coverspostal items
TIROS-1 (TIROS-A)1960-04-01TIROS-1
TIROS-1
TIROS-1		TIROS/ESSATIROS/ESSA
TIROS-2 (TIROS-B)1960-11-23
TIROS-3 (TIROS-C)1961-07-12
TIROS-4 (TIROS-D)1962-02-08
TIROS-5 (TIROS-E)1962-06-19
TIROS-6 (TIROS-F)1962-09-18TIROS-6
TIROS-7 (TIROS-G)1963-06-19
TIROS-8 (TIROS-H)1963-12-21TIROS-8
TIROS-1/8 (cameras on bottom)UnspecifiedTIROS-1/8
TIROS-1/8
TIROS-1/8
TIROS-1/8
TIROS-1/8
TIROS-1/8
TIROS-9 (TIROS-I)1965-01-22TIROS-9
TIROS-10 (OT-1)1965-07-02
TIROS/ESSA (cameras through side)UnspecifiedTIROS/ESSA
TIROS/ESSA
TIROS/ESSA

U.S. Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) satellites / TIROS Operational System (TOS):

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coverspostal items
ESSA-1 (OT-3)1966-02-03TIROS/ESSATIROS/ESSA
ESSA-2 (OT-2)1966-02-28ESSA-2
ESSA-3 (TOS-A)1966-10-02ESSA-3
ESSA-4 (TOS-B)1967-01-26
ESSA-5 (TOS-C)1967-04-20
ESSA-6 (TOS-D)1967-11-10ESSA-6
ESSA-7 (TOS-E)1968-08-16ESSA-7
ESSA-8 (TOS-F)1968-12-15
ESSA-9 (TOS-G)1969-02-26
TIROS/ESSA (cameras through side)UnspecifiedESSA
TIROS/ESSA
TIROS/ESSA
TIROS/ESSA

U.S. Nimbus-series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coverspostal items
Nimbus-1 (Nimbus-A)1964-08-28Nimbus-1
Nimbus-1		NimbusNimbus
Nimbus-2 (Nimbus-C)1966-05-15Nimbus-2
Nimbus-B [failed]1968-05-18
Nimbus-3 (Nimbus-B2)1969-04-13Nimbus-3
Nimbus-4 (Nimbus-D)1970-04-08Nimbus-4
Nimbus-4
Nimbus-5 (Nimbus-E)1972-12-10Nimbus-5
Nimbus-5 or 6
Nimbus-6 (Nimbus-F)1975-06-12Nimbus-6
Nimbus-5 or 6
Nimbus-7 (Nimbus-G)1978-10-24Nimbus-7
Nimbus-7
NimbusUnspecifiedNimbus
Nimbus
Nimbus

U.S. Improved TIROS Operational System (ITOS) / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coverspostal items
TIROS-M (ITOS-1)1970-01-23ITOS/TIROS-N/ATN (NOAA)ITOS/TIROS-N/ATN (NOAA)
NOAA-1 (ITOS-A)1970-12-11
ITOS-B [failed]1971-10-21
ITOS-C / ITOS-E2Never launched
NOAA-2 (ITOS-D)1972-10-15NOAA-2
ITOS-E / ITOS-E1 [failed]1973-07-16
NOAA-3 (ITOS-F)1973-11-06NOAA-3
NOAA-4 (ITOS-G)1974-11-15
NOAA-5 (ITOS-H)1976-07-29
ITOS / NOAAUnspecifiedITOS (NOAA)
ITOS (NOAA)
ITOS (NOAA)

U.S. Next Generation TIROS-N / NOAA series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coverspostal items
TIROS-N1978-10-13TIROS-N
TIROS-N		ITOS/TIROS-N/ATN (NOAA)ITOS/TIROS-N/ATN (NOAA)
NOAA-6 (NOAA-A)1979-06-27
NOAA-B [failed]1980-05-29
NOAA-7 (NOAA-C)1981-06-23
NOAA-12 (NOAA-D)1991-05-14

U.S. Advanced TIROS-N (ATN) / NOAA series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coverspostal items
NOAA-8 (NOAA-E)1983-03-28ITOS/TIROS-N/ATN (NOAA)ITOS/TIROS-N/ATN (NOAA)
NOAA-9 (NOAA-F)1984-12-12
NOAA-10 (NOAA-G)1986-09-17
NOAA-11 (NOAA-H)1988-09-24
NOAA-12 (NOAA-D)see TIROS-N (NOAA) table above
NOAA-13 (NOAA-I)1993-08-09
NOAA-14 (NOAA-J)1994-12-30
NOAA-15 (NOAA-K)1998-05-13NOAA-15
NOAA-15
NOAA-16 (NOAA-L)2000-09-21
NOAA-17 (NOAA-M)2002-06-24NOAA-17
NOAA-17
NOAA-18 (NOAA-N)2005-05-20NOAA-18
NOAA-18
NOAA-19 (NOAA-N' (N-prime))2009-02-06NOAA-19
NOAA-19
ATNUnspecifiedATN (NOAA)
ATN (NOAA)
ATN (NOAA)

U.S. National Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coverspostal items
NPP2010-?NPP
NPOESS-12013?NPOESS
NPOESS		NPOESS
NPOESS
NPOESS
NPOESS
NPOESS-22014?

Russian Meteor-series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coverspostal items
Kosmos-Meteor / pre-Meteor1964-1968MeteorMeteor
Meteor [failed]1969-02-01
Meteor-1-11969-03-26Meteor-1
Meteor-1
Meteor-1-21969-10-06
Meteor-1-31970-03-17
Meteor-1-41970-04-28
Meteor-1-51970-06-23
Meteor-1-61970-10-15
Meteor-1-71971-01-20
Meteor-1-81971-04-17
Meteor-1-91971-07-16
Meteor-1-101971-12-29
Meteor-1-111972-03-30
Meteor-1-121972-06-30
Meteor-1-131972-10-26
Meteor-1-141973-03-20
Meteor-1-151973-05-29
Meteor-1-161974-03-05
Meteor-1-171974-04-24
Meteor-1-181974-07-09
Meteor-1-191974-10-28
Meteor-1-201974-12-17
Meteor-1-211975-04-01
Meteor-1-221975-09-18
Meteor-1-231975-12-25
Meteor-1-241976-04-07
Meteor-1-251976-05-15
Meteor-1-261976-10-15
Meteor-1-271977-04-05
Meteor-1-281977-06-29
Meteor-1-291979-01-25
Meteor-1-301980-06-18Meteor-1-30
Meteor-1-31 / Priroda1981-07-10Meteor-Priroda
Meteor-2-11975-07-11Meteor-2
Meteor-2
Meteor-2-21977-01-06
Meteor-2-31977-12-14
Meteor-2-41979-03-01
Meteor-2-51979-10-31
Meteor-2-61980-09-09
Meteor-2-71981-05-14
Meteor-2-81982-03-25
Meteor-2-91982-12-14
Meteor-2-101983-10-28
Meteor-2-111984-07-05
Meteor-2-121985-02-06
Meteor-2-131985-12-26
Meteor-2-141986-05-27
Meteor-2-151987-01-05
Meteor-2-161987-08-18
Meteor-2-171988-01-30
Meteor-2-181989-02-28
Meteor-2-191990-06-29
Meteor-2-201990-09-28
Meteor-2-211993-08-31
Meteor-3-11985-10-24Meteor-3
Meteor-3
Meteor-3
Meteor-3-21988-07-26
Meteor-3-31989-10-24
Meteor-3-41991-04-24
Meteor-3-5 / TOMS1991-08-15
Meteor-3-61994-01-25
Meteor-3M-1 / SAGE-32001-12-10
Meteor-3M-2200?

Chinese Feng Yun (FY-1 and FY-3) polar-orbiting satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coverspostal items
FY-1-1 (FY-1A)1988-09-06FY-1
FY-1
FY-1+FY-2A		FY-1FY-1
FY-1-2 (FY-1B)1990-09-03
FY-1C1999-05-10
FY-1D2002-05-15
FY-3A2008-05-27FY-3AFY-3FY-3
FY-3B200?

European METeorological OPerational (MetOp) satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coverspostal items
MetOp-2 (MetOp-A)2006-10-19MetOp (early design)
MetOp		MetOpMetOp
MetOp-1 (MetOp-B)200?
MetOp-3 (MetOp-C)200?

Links to polar-orbiting weather satellite information:

(The links below lead to information sources that are maintained by others. They are not part of this Website.)

Back to Un-Manned Satellite Philately.


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This Website created and maintained by Don Hillger and Garry Toth.
Updated: 2009-07-21