The National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration announced Monday morning it will delay cutting off meteorological satellite data until the end of July, a month later than initially planned.
Despite the extension, NOAA said the move ultimately will stop the flow of crucial data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), which has helped meteorologists monitor and forecast hurricanes.
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NOAA's internal notice stated it is ending DMSP data ingestion due to "recent service change," a decision that was reportedly initiated by the Defense Department.
The announcement caused an uproar among meteorologists and public officials in the midst of what is predicted to be a busy hurricane season.
Officials said the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command planned to decommission the DMSP to mitigate a "significant cybersecurity risk," but complied with a request from NASA to postpone the removal.
The DMSP is a partnership that NOAA has with the Defense Department to design, build, launch and maintain multiple satellites that monitor meteorological and oceanographic conditions, according to NOAA's website.
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