BAE Systems, the former Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., has secured a significant contract worth $450 million to develop an ocean-color instrument for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) next geostationary weather constellation. The contract aims to enhance the monitoring of U.S. coastal waters, the Great Lakes, and the exclusive economic zone.
Under the contract, BAE Systems will be responsible for developing two flight instruments for the GeoXO program, NOAA’s largest procurement in history. The program is part of NOAA’s efforts to improve the understanding of ocean and coastal conditions. The GeoXO Ocean Color Instrument (OCX) will deliver updated information at least every three hours, providing a more frequent and comprehensive view of ocean and coastal conditions than what is currently available.
The OCX instrument has been designed to analyze ocean and coastal ecosystem changes and provide valuable information to various stakeholders. It will benefit forecasters, marine resource managers, fisheries, health departments, water treatment managers, as well as the commerce, recreation, and tourism industries. The instrument’s data will help in assessing biology, chemistry, productivity, ecosystem change, water quality, seafood safety, and hazards such as harmful algal blooms.
BAE Systems will be responsible for the complete development and integration of the OCX instrument.
Additionally, they will support the launch, supply and maintenance of the ground support equipment, and assist mission operations at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Maryland. The partnership between NOAA and NASA is crucial in the implementation of the GeoXO program, with NOAA funding and managing the program, operations, and data products, while NASA and commercial partners develop and build the instruments and spacecraft and launch the satellites.
In addition to this contract, BAE Systems has been involved in other critical initiatives. They are currently developing an air quality sensor for the GeoXO program, further expanding their contributions in the field.
Furthermore, Tomorrow.io, a Boston-based weather intelligence firm, has been awarded a $10.2 million contract from the Department of Defense to produce and deploy two satellites equipped with microwave sounders for military weather forecasting. The company, selected to receive funding through the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program, aims to enhance their hyperlocal, real-time weather forecasting capabilities.
NOAA’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2024 includes significant funding increases for future weather satellite programs. For example, the GeoXO program, which had received a smaller amount of funding in the previous year, is being allocated $417.4 million. The Polar Weather Satellites program, including the Joint Polar Satellite System series of satellites, has requested $342.4 million. These funding increases will support ongoing development, launch, testing, and operation of the satellites, ensuring the continuity of critical environmental observations.
The contracts awarded to BAE Systems and Tomorrow.io, along with the increased funding requests for satellite programs, reflect the significant focus and investment in advancing weather and environmental observation technologies. These initiatives are vital for improving our understanding of the Earth’s systems and enabling better forecasts, monitoring, and mitigation of weather-related hazards.