GPS radio occultation
GPS radio occultation data, which can refine weather forecast models, is the subject of a second round of a NOAA commercial weather data pilot program. Credit: UCAR

WASHINGTON — The new acting administrator of NOAA and the retiring head of NASA’s Earth sciences division praised the potential of commercial satellite data purchases to augment their own satellite systems.

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Jeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science...