{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T01:18:49Z","timestamp":1760145529384,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,26]],"date-time":"2024-07-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1721952000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Global Science &amp; Technology (GST) by NOAA\/National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS)","award":["NA19NES4320002"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NA19NES4320002"]}]},{"name":"University of Maryland\/ESSIC","award":["NA19NES4320002"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NA19NES4320002"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 21 Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) was successfully launched on 10 November 2022. To ensure the required instrument performance, a series of Post-Launch Tests (PLTs) were performed and analyzed. The primary calibration source for NOAA-21 VIIRS Reflective Solar Bands (RSBs) is the Solar Diffuser (SD), which retains the prelaunch radiometric calibration standard from prelaunch to on-orbit. Upon reaching orbit, the SD undergoes degradation as a result of ultraviolet solar illumination. The rate of SD degradation (called the H-factor) is monitored by a Solar Diffuser Stability Monitor (SDSM). The initial H-factor\u2019s instability was significantly improved by deriving a new sun transmittance function from the yaw maneuver and one-year SDSM data. The F-factors (normally represent the inverse of instrument gain) thus calculated for the Visible\/Near-Infrared (VISNIR) bands were proven to be stable throughout the first year of the on-orbit operations. On the other hand, the Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) bands unexpectedly showed fast degradation, which is possibly due to unknown substance accumulation along the optical path. To mitigate these SWIR band gain changes, the NOAA VIIRS Sensor Data Record (SDR) team used an automated calibration software package called RSBautoCal. In March 2024, the second middle-mission outgassing event to reverse SWIR band degradation was shown to be successful and its effects are closely monitored. Finally, the deep convective cloud trends and lunar collection results validated the operational F-factors. This paper summarizes the preliminary on-orbit radiometric calibration updates and performance for the NOAA-21 VIIRS SDR products in the RSB.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/rs16152737","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,26]],"date-time":"2024-07-26T13:04:59Z","timestamp":1721999099000},"page":"2737","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Preliminary Assessment of On-Orbit Radiometric Calibration Challenges in NOAA-21 VIIRS Reflective Solar Bands (RSBs)"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Taeyoung","family":"Choi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Science & Technology (GST), College Park, MD 20740, USA"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3572-6525","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Changyong","family":"Cao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"NOAA NESDIS\/STAR\/SMCD, College Park, MD 20740, USA"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1066-4268","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Slawomir","family":"Blonski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Science & Technology (GST), College Park, MD 20740, USA"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1589-7098","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Xi","family":"Shao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cooperative Institute for Satellite Earth System Studies (CISESS), University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740, USA"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9782-5337","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wenhui","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cooperative Institute for Satellite Earth System Studies (CISESS), University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740, USA"}]},{"given":"Khalil","family":"Ahmad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Science & Technology (GST), College Park, MD 20740, USA"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1142","DOI":"10.1109\/TGRS.2013.2247768","article-title":"Early On-Orbit Performance of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite Onboard the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) Satellite","volume":"52","author":"Cao","year":"2014","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. 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