Pre-Launch Performance of the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) on the Joint Polar Satellite System-2 Satellite (JPSS-2)

The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) is a satellite-based microwave radiometer that provides temperature and humidity sounding observations from low Earth orbit. The instrument utilizes 22 channels that cover a frequency range of 23 to 183 GHz. The first ATMS instrument was launched in 2011 on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) satellite and the second ATMS was launched in 2017 on the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) satellite (now NOAA-20); both on-orbit ATMS instruments are currently operational. This paper will describe the pre-launch performance of the third ATMS instrument, designated for the JPSS-2 satellite, during ground testing and calibration.