As its name suggests, the Arctic Weather Satellite mission is designed to show how a potential polar-orbiting constellation of satellites could provide data for very short-term weather forecasts and nowcasts in the Arctic, a region that lacks these kind of forecasts. Importantly, the constellation would also allow for more accurate forecasting around the world.

The Arctic Weather satellite carries a 19-channel cross-track scanning microwave radiometer that provides high-resolution humidity and temperature soundings of the atmosphere in all weather conditions.