Polar Orbiting Satellites - Scan Strategies

• One of the polar orbiters (morning) will have an early-morning equatorial crossing time at about 7:30 AM LST.
• This satellite will also have an equatorial crossing time 12 hours later 19:30 LST.
• The other satellite (afternoon) will have a nominal equatorial crossing time at 14:30 LST and then again at 02:30 AM LST.
• Between the two satellites, they cover the same point on the equator at 7:30, 14:30, 19:30, and 02:30 LST.  
• Hence, the data is never more than about six hours old.

image created by David Johnson at the National Center of Atmospheric Research

Check out the real-time positions of the GOES and POES satellites at: http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/RealTime/JTrack/noaa.html