NOAA has started limiting its maintenance work on polar weather satellites, risking the accuracy of weather forecasts and storm predictions. The Joint Polar Satellite System, critical for short-term forecasting, will see decreased operations as a memo advises minimal mission efforts. This change results from reduced engineering support due to funding cuts from the Trump administration, and former officials warn it could lead to increased long-term costs from potential satellite failures. Key maintenance tasks, including software updates and system calibrations, are being deferred, amplifying the risk of system glitches that could severely impact data collection.
The decision to defer maintenance of NOAA's polar weather satellites poses potential risks to weather forecasts and storm predictions, highlighting short-sighted decision-making.
Deferring maintenance may save money temporarily, but it increases the risk of failure and could lead to higher costs in the long term.
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