NASA has selected Lockheed Martin to develop and build the nation’s next generation weather satellite constellation, Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO), for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The baseline contract is for three spacecraft with options for four additional spacecraft. The total estimated value of the contract including options is $2.27 billion.
“Our team is excited and ready to move forward to design and field this critical national capability,” said Kyle Griffin, vice president and general manager of Commercial Civil Space at Lockheed Martin. “Our GeoXO design draws heavily from what we’ve learned with GOES-R spacecraft over the last 15 years, while incorporating new, digital technologies not only onboard the vehicles but in the design and development of this powerful, weather-monitoring platform of the future.”
The GeoXO mission will expand upon critical observations of weather provided by the Lockheed Martin-built GOES-R Series geostationary satellites to include new observations of oceans and air pollution. GeoXO’s new capabilities will deliver more accurate weather forecasting and address emerging environmental issues.
The first GeoXO launch is planned for the early 2030s and will maintain and advance NOAA’s critical geostationary observations through the late 2050s. The platform features SmartSat technology that enables new software pushes and capabilities as environmental data needs change over time.
