Ball Aerospace has won a $489.6 million contract to deliver a sounder for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) satellite program.
The sounder is a critical instrument that will measure atmospheric temperature, humidity, and other properties to improve weather forecasting and climate monitoring.
Under the contract, Ball will build and deliver one GeoXO sounder, integrate it with the next-generation NOAA weather satellite, and provide support for the first flight instrument. The contract also includes options for additional sounders.
The GeoXO sounder is based on Ball’s proven Hyperspectral Imager Sounder (HIS) technology. The HIS has been flying on weather satellites since 2004 and has a proven track record of providing accurate and reliable measurements.
The GeoXO sounder will be a significant upgrade over the current sounders on NOAA’s weather satellites. It will have a wider spectral range, higher spatial resolution, and improved sensitivity. This will allow it to measure atmospheric properties with greater accuracy and detail, which will improve weather forecasting and climate monitoring.
The GeoXO satellite is scheduled to launch in 2029. It will replace the current GOES-16 and GOES-17 satellites, which are nearing the end of their operational lives.
The contract award to Ball is a significant milestone for the GeoXO program. It ensures that the program has the resources it needs to develop and deliver a next-generation sounder that will improve weather forecasting and climate monitoring for years to come.
The GeoXO sounder is a major step forward in weather forecasting and climate monitoring. It will provide the data that meteorologists and scientists need to make more accurate predictions and to better understand the Earth’s climate.
