A major funding shortfall is forcing NASA to defer detailed planning for phasing in the ground segment of its next-generation polar-orbiting weather satellite system in order to concentrate on making sure the basic operating system is ready in time for the launch of the first satellite late this year, an agency official said. David Schurr, deputy director of the Joint Agency Satellite Division within NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said the 2011 budget for the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) is insufficient to cover the engineering work that is necessary to map out the incremental upgrades the system will need to fly multiple satellites based on two different platforms.
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