Weather satellite satellite data. Collectively, weather satellites flown by the U.S., Europe, India, China, Russia, and Japan provide nearly continuous observations for a global weather watch. As early as 1946, the idea of cameras in orbit to observe the weather was being developed. This was due to sparse data observation coverage and the expense of using cloud cameras on rockets. By 1958, the early prototypes for TIROS and Vanguard (developed by the Army Signal Corps) were created. The first weather satellite, Vanguard 2, was launched on February 17, 1959. It was designed to measure cloud cover and resistance, but a poor axis
The Weather Channel set to expire on December 31 (after which the deadline for a new carriage deal was extended by two weeks), the satellite provider began carrying WeatherNation TV (the successor to The Weather Cast and owned by WeatherNation, LLC) on channel 361 on December 16, 2013 – placing the channel next to The Weather Channel's slot on channel 362; WeatherNation replaced The Weather Channel on channel 362 – while still being carried on channel 361 – when TWC was pulled. The Weather Channel's chief executive officer David Kenny stated that it offered DirecTV the best rate for its programming (according to