NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) Satellite Program and Issues for Congress
Congressional research reportJul 10, 2026
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NOAA’s Geostationary Extended
Observations (GeoXO) Satellite Program and
Issues for Congress
July 10, 2026
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R49026
SUMMARY
NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations
(GeoXO) Satellite Program and Issues for
Congress
R49026
July 10, 2026
Caitlin Keating-Bitonti
Specialist in Natural
Resources Policy
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) typically deploys a new
generation of geostationary satellites every two decades. Geostationary satellites operated by
Eva Lipiec
NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS)
Specialist in Natural
continuously observe the Western Hemisphere to detect and monitor weather conditions and
Resource Policy
environmental hazards. NOAA’s current two-satellite operational geostationary mission, the
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites R Series (GOES-R Series), is expected to
end in the early 2030s. In 2019, NESDIS began defining requirements for its next geostationary
mission, Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO); NOAA expects GeoXO to continue
and improve upon GOES-R Series observations. A Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General investigation
conducted between July 2024 and December 2025 identified that the GeoXO program had made adequate progress. In
particular, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which serves as the acquisition agent, had awarded contracts
for all GeoXO instruments (five instruments) and spacecraft (six satellites) between 2023 and 2024. In 2025, the Trump
Administration determined that GeoXO had unsustainable costs and directed NOAA to cancel all existing GeoXO contracts.
The Administration directed NOAA to recompete the contracts as firm-fixed-price contracts for fewer satellites (four instead
of six) and for only certain instruments—an infrared and visible imaging instrument and a hyperspectral infrared sounder.
The Trump Administration argues that the GeoXO program modifications serve two primary objectives. First, eliminating
two spacecraft and terminating certain instruments (i.e., an atmospheric composition instrument, an ocean color instrument,
and a lightning mapping instrument) from the mission would reduce the program’s cost. Second, the modifications would
refocus the mission on weather, thereby excluding observations that would apply directly to climate, atmospheric
composition, and the ocean. NOAA aims to launch the first GeoXO satellite in 2032, and it remains unclear whether these
modifications would impact NOAA’s launch timeline.
At issue for Congress are NOAA’s current progress on the GeoXO mission and whether modifications to the mission would
create a geostationary satellite observation data gap—either through a potential launch delay of the first GeoXO satellite or
due to delays caused by the modified satellite architecture. A data gap could impact NOAA’s future weather services for the
United States—geostationary satellite observations support the statutory requirements of the National Weather Service to
protect life and property. Furthermore, Congress appropriated funds to NOAA for five new instruments with the expectation
that these instruments would advance weather, climate, coastal, and ocean observations. The elimination of three instruments
could reduce the opportunity for forecasting and research advances, according to some stakeholders.
Congressional Research Service
NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) Satellite Program
Contents
GeoXO Program Developments ...................................................................................................... 2
GeoXO Program Under the Biden Administration ................................................................... 3
GeoXO Program Under the Second Trump Administration ..................................................... 9
GeoXO Budget and Funding ......................................................................................................... 12
Issues for Congress ........................................................................................................................ 12
Cancellation of Contracts ........................................................................................................ 13
NASA as an Acquisition Agent ............................................................................................... 14
NOAA and the Private Sector ................................................................................................. 15
Data and Satellite Configuration Concerns ............................................................................. 15
Continuity of Data............................................................................................................. 16
Logistical Challenges ........................................................................................................ 17
Improved or Additional Data ............................................................................................ 17
Figures
Figure 1. GeoXO Constellation and Instruments As Planned Under the Biden
Administration.............................................................................................................................. 5
Figure 2. Application of Planned GeoXO Instruments to Climate, Weather, Coasts, and
Ocean Observations...................................................................................................................... 7
Figure 3. GeoXO Constellation and Instruments As Planned Under the Trump
Administration in 2025............................................................................................................... 10
Figure 4. GeoXO Constellation and Instruments As Planned Under the Trump
Administration in 2026............................................................................................................... 12
Tables
Table 1. Awarded Contracts for GeoXO Instruments and Spacecraft ............................................. 8
Appendixes
Appendix. Abbreviations ............................................................................................................... 20
Contacts
Author Information........................................................................................................................ 20
Congressional Research Service
NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) Satellite Program
C
ongress has directed the Secretary of Commerce to observe, forecast, and warn the public
of weathers and floods (15 U.S.C. §313); improve weather forecasting and prediction (15
U.S.C. §§8501 et seq.); and support aviation (49 U.S.C. §44720), among other
responsibilities. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fulfills these
responsibilities, as delegated from the Secretary, through the development and launch of
satellites, and their continuous collection of data on weather conditions and environmental
hazards, among other activities.1 Geostationary satellites are one kind of satellite operated by
NOAA. These satellites are positioned 22,300 miles above the equator and orbit at the same
speed as Earth’s rotation, thereby allowing the satellites to provide continuous coverage over the
same location on the Earth.2 NOAA-operated geostationary satellites continuously observe the
Western Hemisphere—from the west coast of Africa to New Zealand and from near the Arctic
Circle to the Antarctic Circle. NOAA has deployed a new generation of geostationary satellites
about every two decades since 1975.3 NOAA’s current two-satellite operational geostationary
mission, the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites R Series (GOES-R Series), is
expected to end in the early 2030s.4 NOAA anticipates the deployment of its next mission,
Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) satellites, will begin in 2032.5 NOAA expects
GeoXO to continue and improve upon GOES-R Series observations through 2055.6
Multiple Administrations have worked to advance GeoXO. NOAA began defining requirements
for GeoXO in 2019, under the first Trump Administration. Under the subsequent Biden
Administration, NOAA planned for five instruments (i.e., sensors that collect Earth observation
data) across three operational satellites, with an additional three backup satellites and
instruments.7 The GeoXO program was set to be NOAA’s largest procurement ever at $19.6
billion.8 In April 2025, under the second Trump Administration, an internal Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) pre-decisional passback directed NOAA’s National
Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) to “immediately cancel all
major instruments and spacecraft contracts on the GeoXO program” because its projected budget
1 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information
Service (NESDIS), “Office of Geostationary Earth Orbit Observations,” https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/about/ouroffices/office-of-geostationary-earth-orbit-observations (hereinafter NOAA, NESDIS, “Office of Geostationary Earth
Orbit Observations”).
2 NOAA, NESDIS, “Office of Geostationary Earth Orbit Observations.”
3 NOAA, National Weather Service (NWS), “The National Weather Service at 150: A Brief History,”
https://vlab.noaa.gov/web/nws-heritage/-/the-national-weather-service-at-150-a-brief-history; and Daniel T. Lindsey et
al., “GeoXO: NOAA’s Future Geostationary Satellite System,” Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, vol.
105, no. 3 (2024), pp. E660-E679 (hereinafter Lindsey et al., “GeoXO: NOAA’s Future Geostationary Satellite
System”).
4 NOAA, NESDIS, “Office of Geostationary Earth Orbit Observations.”
5
NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Timeline,” accessed April 3, 2025, http://nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/future-programs/
geoxo/geoxo-timeline (hereinafter NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Timeline”); and NOAA, NESDIS, “Geostationary
Extended Observations (GeoXO),” accessed April 3, 2026, https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/future-programs/
geostationary-extended-observations-geoxo.
6 NOAA and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Geostationary and Extended Orbits (GeoXO),
fact sheet, updated July 2025, https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/s3/2025-08/2025_GeoXO_2-sided_FS.pdf; and NOAA,
NESDIS, “Office of Geostationary Earth Orbit Observations.” NOAA and NASA work in collaboration. NOAA
determines the parameters and requirements for the program, and NASA leads the development and launch of the
satellites. Once launched, NOAA leads satellite operations.
7 NOAA and NASA, Geostationary and Extended Orbits (GeoXO), fact sheet, updated August 2021,
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/s3/2021-08/GeoXO_FactSheet.pdf.
8 NOAA, Report to Congress: Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO): Determination of Readiness, 2022, p.
20 (hereinafter NOAA, Report to Congress: GeoXO Determination of Readiness).
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NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) Satellite Program
was “unsustainable.”9 Consequently, in the FY2026 budget request, the Trump Administration
proposed to modify the GeoXO program and mission, including eliminating some instruments
and restructuring it to be a “focused, core weather mission.”10 The FY2027 NOAA budget request
maintains these modifications.11
Congress conducts oversight of NOAA satellite programs (i.e., major programs) given the high
cost and long time frame of such programs.12 For example, Congress has provided direction to
NOAA regarding the GeoXO program in appropriations law and related reports since FY2020.13
In 2025, some Members began expressing concerns regarding modifications to the GeoXO
program.14 This report focuses on the GeoXO program’s progress thus far, including differences
in the satellite mission between the Biden Administration and second Trump Administration, and
selected issues for Congress associated with GeoXO’s progress, such as potential program delays
and data gaps. The Appendix includes a list of frequently used abbreviations in this report.
GeoXO Program Developments
In 2019, NOAA began to identify the requirements for GeoXO—the agency’s next geostationary
satellite program—including the program’s instrument, spacecraft, and system needs.15 Internal to
the agency, NOAA line offices identified priorities for GeoXO related to weather, oceans, coasts,
and climate mission areas. External to the agency, NOAA conducted outreach, such as
workshops, surveys, listening sessions, polls, and town hall meetings, to “thousands of end users
in dozens of organizations” to define the future observational needs for GeoXO.16 NOAA selected
GeoXO’s instrument suite to meet existing requirements and in anticipation of emerging needs.
The identified priorities resulted in the inclusion of three new instruments in the mission: a
hyperspectral sounder, atmospheric composition instrument, and ocean color instrument.17 The
9 White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to the Department of Commerce (DOC), Pre-Decisional
2026 Passback Agency Funding Highlights, 2025, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25898182-noaapassback/, p. 5 (hereinafter OMB, Pre-Decisional 2026 Passback Agency Funding Highlights). Also see Debra Werner,
“OMB Suggests NOAA Scale Back Plans for Geostationary Satellites,” SpaceNews, April 21, 2025,
https://spacenews.com/omb-suggests-noaa-scale-back-plans-for-geostationary-satellites/. NESDIS is a subagency, or
line office, of NOAA. For information about NOAA’s organization, see CRS Report R47636, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): Organization Overview and Issues for Congress, by Eva Lipiec.
10 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2026, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-27.
11 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2027, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-36.
12 33 U.S.C. §878a defines a major program for NOAA satellites as “an activity approved to proceed to
implementation that has an estimated life-cycle cost of more than $250,000,000.”
13 See “GeoXO Budget and Funding,” below.
14 For example, U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Hearings to Examine
the Nominations of Neil Jacobs, of North Carolina, to be Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, and Taylor
Jordan, of the District of Columbia, and Harry Kumar, of New York, Both To Be an Assistant Secretary, All of the
Department of Commerce, hearings, 119th Cong., 1st sess., July 9, 2025; and U.S. Congress, House Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Subcommittee on Environment, From Orbit to Operations: How Weather
Satellites Support the National Security Mission, hearings, 119th Cong., 2nd sess., January 13, 2026 (hereinafter House
SST Subcommittee on Environment, From Orbit to Operations).
15 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Timeline.”
16 NOAA, Report to Congress: America’s Next Generation Weather and Space Weather Satellite Systems, 5-Year
Profile (Fiscal Years 2025-2029), September 2024, p. 10 (hereinafter NOAA, Report to Congress: Next Generation
Weather).
17 NOAA, Report to Congress: Next Generation Weather, 2024, p. 10.
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NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) Satellite Program
other two instruments in the GeoXO instrument suite were an improved imager and an improved
lightning mapper, follow-ons to those in the GOES-R Series program.18
After identifying an instrument suite that would meet GeoXO user needs, NESDIS released a
broad agency announcement “to engage the commercial sector in developing new concepts for
instruments, spacecraft, business models and mission elements for NOAA’s future space-based
observation architecture.”19 In April 2020, NESDIS awarded contracts to several companies from
the commercial and research sector to study GeoXO instrument designs and spacecraft concepts,
as well as the program’s potential risks and costs, among other things.20
GeoXO Program Under the Biden Administration
Under the Biden Administration, between 2021 and 2022, NOAA and the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) used the contracted studies described above to refine mission
requirements; detail acquisition strategies, schedules, cost estimates, resource planning, and risk
management; and confirm technology readiness.21 Following the approval of the GeoXO
requirements and preliminary program plan, the Department of Commerce (DOC) officially
approved the GeoXO program in December 2022 (i.e., the Deputy Secretary of Commerce signed
the DOC Milestone 2/3 decision memorandum), allowing GeoXO to proceed to the development
and execution phase.22 The Milestone decision memorandum cited a program budget of $19.6
billion,23 which would have covered GeoXO operations and support from 2020 to 2055.24 The
GeoXO program, as planned for under the Biden Administration, would have been NOAA’s
largest procurement ever.25
The Biden Administration’s GeoXO program planned for six total spacecraft, with a maximum of
three operating simultaneously. The three operational satellites—GEO-West, GEO-Central, and
GEO-East—would have been positioned over the Western Hemisphere. The GeoXO constellation
would have hosted five instruments to provide continuous imagery and data of Earth’s
atmosphere, land, and ocean (Figure 1). As discussed below, the second Trump Administration
has requested to eliminate some instruments that were part of the Biden Administration’s GeoXO
program.26 Both Administrations’ programs have included the following instruments:
18 NOAA, Report to Congress: Next Generation Weather, 2024, p. 11.
19 DOC, Office of Space Commerce, “Future NOAA Satellite Architecture,” https://space.commerce.gov/business-
with-noaa/future-noaa-satellite-architecture/.
20 DOC, Office of Space Commerce, “Future NOAA Satellite Architecture”; and NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Industry
Collaboration,” accessed April 8, 2026, https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/future-programs/geoxo/geoxoindustry-collaboration.
21 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Timeline”; and NOAA, Report to Congress: GeoXO Determination of Readiness, p. 6.
22 NOAA, Report to Congress: GeoXO Determination of Readiness, pp. 19-20. Also see NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO
Timeline.”
23 NOAA, Report to Congress: GeoXO Determination of Readiness, p. 20.
24 DOC, OIG, Office of Audit and Evaluation, The GeoXO Program: Cost and Schedule Baselines are Established, But
NOAA Should Evaluate Plans for the Central Satellite Mission and Revise Its Approach to Performance Gains to
Provide the Best Overall Value, Final Report No. OIG-23-028-A, September 20, 2023, p. 2 (hereinafter DOC, OIG,
Office of Audit and Evaluation, The GeoXO Program: Cost and Schedule Baselines).
25 Debra Werner, “Full Steam Ahead for NOAA’s $20 Billion GeoXO Program,” SpaceNews, January 10, 2023,
https://spacenews.com/20-billion-geoxo-program/.
26 See “GeoXO Program Under the Second Trump Administration.”
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NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) Satellite Program
1. The GeoXO Imager (GXI) is planned to include 18 channels for viewing visible
and infrared wavelengths used to collect real-time, high-resolution imagery.27
The imager will help NOAA meet its mission needs for “[s]hort-range weather
forecasting, severe weather watches and warnings, and monitoring hazardous
environmental conditions such as fires, smoke, flooding, fog, snow, ice, and
volcanic ash.”28
2. The GeoXO Sounder (GXS) is planned to be a camera-like device to detect finescale ranges of infrared wavelengths used to collect real-time data of the
troposphere (where weather occurs).29 The device will measure the vertical
distribution of atmospheric moisture, winds, and temperature.30 According to the
agency, the sounder instrument will improve NOAA’s numerical weather
prediction and nowcasting (i.e., current conditions to conditions expected up to
six hours into the future, for example).31
The following instruments were included in the Biden Administration’s GeoXO program; the
second Trump Administration has eliminated them:
1. The GeoXO Atmospheric Composition (ACX) instrument would have been a
hyperspectral spectrometer that measured ultraviolet to visible light.32 The
instrument would have provided hourly observations of air pollutants, including
ozone, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, glyoxal, and sulfur
dioxide.33 In addition to monitoring air quality, NOAA anticipated the instrument
would have helped link air quality to weather and climate events.34
2. The GeoXO Lightning Mapper (LMX) instrument would have been a singlechannel, near-infrared optical detector used to detect, locate, and measure
lightning characteristics, such as its intensity, duration, and extent.35 The
lightning mapper would have helped NOAA meet its mission needs for storm
warning and nowcasting.36
3. The GeoXO Ocean Color (OCX) instrument would have been a hyperspectral,
ultraviolet to near-infrared passive imaging radiometer used to provide ocean
color observations every two hours during the daytime over the U.S. ocean
27 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Visible and Infrared Imaging,” accessed April 3, 2026, https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-
satellites/future-programs/geoxo/geoxo-visible-and-infrared-imaging.
28 NOAA, Report to Congress: GeoXO Determination of Readiness, p. 6.
29 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Infrared Sounding,” accessed April 3, 2026, https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/
future-programs/geoxo/geoxo-infrared-sounding.
30 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Infrared Sounding.”
31 NOAA, Report to Congress: GeoXO Determination of Readiness, p. 6.
32 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Atmospheric Composition Instrument (ACX),” https://web.archive.org/web/
20250819081353/https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/future-programs/geoxo/geoxo-atmospheric-compositioninstrument-acx. Also, see NOAA, NESDIS, “NASA Selects BAE Systems to Develop Air Quality Instrument,” May 1,
2024, accessed April 3, 2026, https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/nasa-selects-bae-systems-develop-air-qualityinstrument-noaa.
33 Lindsey et al., “GeoXO: NOAA’s Future Geostationary Satellite System.”
34 NOAA, Report to Congress: GeoXO Determination of Readiness, p. 6.
35 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Lightning Mapping,” https://web.archive.org/web/20260410043521/https://
www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/future-programs/geoxo/geoxo-lightning-mapping. Also, see NOAA, NESDIS,
“NASA Selects Lockheed Martin to Develop Lightning Mapper for NOAA,” September 17, 2024, accessed April 3,
2026, https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/nasa-selects-lockheed-martin-develop-lightning-mapper-noaa.
36 NOAA, Report to Congress: GeoXO Determination of Readiness, p. 6.
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NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) Satellite Program
waters.37 The ocean color instrument would have helped NOAA monitor
“dynamic coast/ocean features, ecosystem change, water quality, and hazards,”
according to the agency.38
According to a 2022 NOAA report, the GeoXO program as approved under the Biden
Administration would “sustain a foundational set of geostationary imaging and lightning
detection observations used continuously by NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS)” and
would “provide observations to meet mission requirements for NOAA’s NWS, National Marine
Fisheries Service, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, and National Ocean Service” with
sounding, ocean color, and atmospheric composition observations.39
Figure 1. GeoXO Constellation and Instruments As Planned Under the Biden
Administration
Source: NOAA, NESDIS, “NASA Awards Contracts for NOAA GeoXO Spacecraft Phase A Study,” July 26,
2022, https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/nasa-awards-contracts-noaa-geoxo-spacecraft-phase-study.
Under the Biden Administration’s plan, the GEO-West and GEO-East satellites would have been
identical, each carrying GXI, LMX, and OCX (Figure 1).40 GXI and LMX would mainly have
been used for weather applications and OCX would have been used to support ocean, coasts, and
climate observations (Figure 2).41 GXI and LMX would have been improved versions of GOESR Series’ instruments—the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and Geostationary Lightning
37 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Ocean Color Instrument (OCX),” https://web.archive.org/web/20250202172010/https://
www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/future-programs/geoxo/geoxo-ocean-color-instrument-ocx. Also, see NOAA,
NESDIS, “NASA Selects BAE Systems to Develop Ocean Color Instrument for NOAA,” May 20, 2024, accessed
April 3, 2026, https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/nasa-selects-bae-systems-develop-ocean-color-instrument-noaa.
38 NOAA, Report to Congress: GeoXO Determination of Readiness, p. 6.
39 NOAA, Report to Congress: GeoXO Determination of Readiness, pp. 14-15.
40 NOAA, Report to Congress: GeoXO Determination of Readiness, p. 6.
41 NOAA, Report to Congress: GeoXO Determination of Readiness, p. 6; and Lindsey et al., “GeoXO: NOAA’s Future
Geostationary Satellite System,” p. E662.
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NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) Satellite Program
Mapper (GLM), respectively.42 For example, GXI is planned to have more spectral bands and
higher resolution than ABI.43 NOAA identified that GXI would be the “only [instrument] that
provides [high-availability product] capabilities.”44 High-availability products “are missioncritical products that the system must provide for mission success” (also known as a core system),
according to NOAA.45 Two backup spare satellites (one for GEO-West and one for GEO-East)
would have helped to manage the risk of a potential satellite failure.
The GEO-Central satellite would have carried GXS, ACX, and a partner payload (Figure 1).
GXS and ACX would have been new instruments to support climate and weather observations
(Figure 2).46 Because the GEO-Central satellite would not have carried GXI, it would have been
a “non-core” system in the GeoXO mission.47 As a non-core system instrument, GXS would have
been placed on GEO-Central and would have collected weather-related data over the continental
United States and the fringes of Alaska. NOAA also planned to equip GEO-Central with ACX,
which would have been used to inform air quality over population centers in the continental
United States.
NOAA took operational needs, logistics, and other factors into consideration when planning the
number of satellites and the position of instruments over the Western Hemisphere under the Biden
Administration, according to the agency. For example, to accommodate the small-car-sized GXI
and GXS instruments in the GeoXO mission, NOAA planned to include the mission-critical GXI
(i.e., a core system instrument), along with two smaller instruments (LMX and OCX), on GEOWest and GEO-East. Because OCX would have been an ocean-focused instrument, positioning
this instrument on the fringes of the continental United States would have aligned with the
GeoXO mission needs.
42 Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites-R Series (GOES-R), “Instruments: Geostationary Lightning
Mapper (GLM),” https://www.goes-r.gov/spacesegment/glm.html; GOES-R, “Instruments: Advanced Baseline Imager
(ABI),” https://www.goes-r.gov/spacesegment/abi.html.
43 GXI would have 18 spectral bands, while ABI has 16 spectral bands. Seven ABI bands would be included in GXI but
at a higher resolution. See Debra Werner, “Budget Remains Tight for Scaled-Back GeoXO Program,” SpaceNews,
January 27, 2026, https://spacenews.com/budget-remains-tight-for-scaled-back-geoxo-program/ (hereinafter Werner,
“Budget Remains Tight for Scaled-Back GeoXO Program”).
44 DOC, OIG, Office of Audit and Evaluation, The GeoXO Program: Cost and Schedule Baselines, p. 4.
45 DOC, OIG, Office of Audit and Evaluation, The GeoXO Program: Cost and Schedule Baselines, p. 4. NOAA
considers products to include “data, information, user support, and reports that NESDIS provides to users.”
46 NOAA, Report to Congress: GeoXO Determination of Readiness, p. 6; and Lindsey et al., “GeoXO: NOAA’s Future
Geostationary Satellite System,” p. E662.
47 DOC, OIG, Office of Audit and Evaluation, The GeoXO Program: Cost and Schedule Baselines, p. 4.
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NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) Satellite Program
Figure 2. Application of Planned GeoXO Instruments to Climate, Weather, Coasts,
and Ocean Observations
As Planned Under the Biden Administration
Sources: CRS. Daniel T. Lindsey et al., “GeoXO: NOAA’s Future Geostationary Satellite System,” Bulletin of the
American Meteorological Society, vol. 105, no. 3 (2024), pp. E660-E679; NOAA and NASA, Geostationary and
Extended Orbits (GeoXO), fact sheet, updated August 2021, https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/s3/2021-08/
GeoXO_FactSheet.pdf; NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Infrared Sounding,” accessed April 3, 2026,
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/future-programs/geoxo/geoxo-infrared-sounding; NOAA, NESDIS,
“GeoXO Visible and Infrared Imaging,” accessed April 3, 2026, https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/futureprograms/geoxo/geoxo-visible-and-infrared-imaging; NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Atmospheric Composition
Instrument (ACX),” https://web.archive.org/web/20250819081353/https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/
future-programs/geoxo/geoxo-atmospheric-composition-instrument-acx; NOAA, NESDIS “GeoXO Lightning
Mapping,” https://web.archive.org/web/20260410043521/https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/futureprograms/geoxo/geoxo-lightning-mapping; and NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Ocean Color Instrument (OCX),”
https://web.archive.org/web/20250202172010/https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/future-programs/geoxo/
geoxo-ocean-color-instrument-ocx.
NASA, on behalf of NOAA, contracted several companies between March 2023 and September
2024 to develop GeoXO instruments and spacecraft (Table 1).48 NASA served as the acquisition
agency (i.e., awarded and oversaw contracts) for the program’s instruments, spacecraft, and
integration activities.49 According to a 2026 DOC OIG report, which investigated GeoXO’s
progress through December 2025, the GeoXO program had “awarded contracts for the spacecraft
and all instruments” included in the Biden Administration’s plan.50
48 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Industry Collaboration.”
49 DOC, OIG, Office of Audit and Evaluation, Evaluation of NOAA’s Progress Implementing the GeoXO Satellite
Program, Final Report No. OIG-26-009-1, March 9, 2026, p. 2 (hereinafter DOC, OIG, Office of Audit and Evaluation,
Evaluation of NOAA’s Progress Implementing the GeoXO Satellite Program).
50 DOC, OIG, Office of Audit and Evaluation, Evaluation of NOAA’s Progress Implementing the GeoXO Satellite
Program, p. 3. The OIG report “did not evaluate the restructuring” as proposed by the Trump Administration.
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Table 1. Awarded Contracts for GeoXO Instruments and Spacecraft
As Cost-Plus-Award-Fee Contracts, According to USASpending.gov, as of July 9, 2026
Second Trump
Administration
Biden Administration
Current Award Amount
Company
Award ID
(in millions)
(City, State)
Contract Status
Atmospheric Composition (ACX)
80GSFC24CA026
$262.2
BAE Systems
(Boulder, CO)
In Progressa
Imager (GXI)
80GSFC23CA044
$620.9
L3Harris
(Fort Wayne, IN)
In Progress
Lightning Mapper (LMX)
80GSFC25CA013
$313.1
Lockheed Martin
(Littleton, CO)
In Progressa
Sounder (GXS)
80GSFC23CA072
$386.8
Ball Aerospace & Technologies
Corporation
(Boulder, CO)
In Progress
Ocean Color (OCX)
80GSFC24CA035
$371.2
BAE Systems
(Boulder, CO)
In Progressa
Spacecraft
80GSFC24CA001
$1,800.0
Lockheed Martin
(Littleton, CO)
In Progress
GeoXO
Instrument/Spacecraft
Sources: CRS using USAspending.gov. The Award ID corresponds to the contract identification used on USAspending.gov.
Notes: A cost-plus-award-fee contract (a type of cost-reimbursement contract) provides for a fee consisting of (1) a base amount (which may be zero) fixed at inception of
the contract and (2) an award amount, based on a judgmental evaluation by the government that the contractor may earn for excellence in whole or in part during the
contract performance (Federal Acquisition Regulation, “Subpart 16.3—Cost-Reimbursement Contracts,” https://www.acquisition.gov/far/subpart-16.3).
a. While the second Trump Administration announced that the contracts for ACX, LMX, and OCX have been discontinued, these contracts appear as “in progress”
on USAspending.gov.
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NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) Satellite Program
GeoXO Program Under the Second Trump Administration
The second Trump Administration aims to restructure the GeoXO program to have a weatherfocused mission and to make it a “more streamlined, innovative, and cost-effective operation.”51
In August 2025, the DOC directed “NOAA to submit a revised Milestone 2/3 decision package in
order to rebaseline a weather-focused program that prioritizes imaging and hyperspectral infrared
sounding observations.”52
The Trump Administration aims to lower the GeoXO life cycle cost by 50% and to keep annual
costs below $500 million.53 To reduce costs, the Trump Administration requested in FY2026 to
change GeoXO to a four-satellite program by eliminating the “third satellite position that was to
fly over the central [United States].”54 The FY2027 budget request also includes a GeoXO foursatellite program composed of two series of two operational satellites (GEO-West and GEOEast).55 It is unclear whether the elimination of the two GEO-Central satellites was due to their
“non-core” status in the GeoXO mission, as previously discussed, or an alternative justification.56
As of January 2026, NOAA noted that the new “reduced scope and focused mission architecture”
addressed many of the risks DOC OIG had identified in a March 2026 report, with a “simplified
four-satellite constellation design and elimination of higher-risk program elements.”57
In addition to changing the GeoXO mission to a four-satellite program, the Administration
proposed changes to the program’s instruments. Initially, the Administration requested to
eliminate ACX and OCX, and possibly LMX, from the program.58 The FY2026 budget request
noted that the agency was open to retaining the LMX if it would be within “cost guidelines.”59
The proposed four-satellite architecture with three instruments would have been configured as
follows (Figure 3):
•
•
The first GeoXO satellite would have “carr[ied] two GOES-R-era instruments: an
Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and a Geostationary Lightning Mapper
(GLM).” This satellite would have served in the GEO-West position and had an
anticipated 2032 launch.
The second GeoXO satellite would have carried GXI and GXS. This satellite
would have served in the GEO-East position and had an anticipated 2034 launch.
51 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2026, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-27.
52 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Timeline.”
53 OMB, Pre-Decisional 2026 Passback Agency Funding Highlights, pp. 5-6.
54 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2026, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-19.
55 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2027, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-36.
56 A 2023 OIG report had recommended that NESDIS “[a]ssess the cost and performance tradeoffs of the second
Central satellite.” The report estimated that the second Central satellite would have a life cycle cost of $866.4 million.
In response to the OIG report, NOAA stated that “the second Central satellite [was] needed to meet the required
maximum replacement time” of the first Central satellite (DOC, OIG, Office of Audit and Evaluation, The GeoXO
Program: Cost and Schedule Baselines, pp. 7, 9, and 13).
57 DOC, OIG, Office of Audit and Evaluation, Evaluation of NOAA’s Progress Implementing the GeoXO Satellite
Program, p. 22.
58 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2026, Congressional Submission, pp. NESDIS-19 and NESDIS-27. The
director of NOAA’s Office of Geostationary Earth Orbit Observations reportedly stated that “if we get too expensive,
we will remove stuff” in reference to the GeoXO program (Werner, “Budget Remains Tight for Scaled-Back GeoXO
Program”).
59 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2026, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-19.
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•
•
The third GeoXO satellite would have carried GXI and, if the budget had
allowed, LMX. This satellite would have served in the GEO-West position and
had an anticipated 2039 launch.
The fourth GeoXO satellite would have carried GXI and GXS. This satellite
would have served in the GEO-East position and had an anticipated 2043 launch.
Figure 3. GeoXO Constellation and Instruments As Planned Under the Trump
Administration in 2025
Source: NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Spacecraft & Instruments,” accessed April 3, 2026,
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/future-programs/geoxo/geoxo-spacecraft-instruments.
Notes: Prior to FY2026 congressional direction, the second Trump Administration had planned for a foursatellite program. The two satellites planned for the GEO-West position would have carried an imager and a
lightning mapper and the two satellites planned for the GEO-East position would have carried an imager and
sounder.
As of January 2026, NOAA had discontinued the BAE contracts for the ACX and OCX
instruments, “as per the direction of the administration.”60 The Administration stated it was
assessing whether to include the lightning mapper on GeoXO or to purchase commercial spaceor ground-based lightning data.61 The agency has since discontinued Lockheed Martin’s contract
for LMX.62
60 Testimony of Irene Parker, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Systems, NOAA, NESDIS, in House SST
Subcommittee on Environment, From Orbit to Operations. NOAA provides a list of GeoXO “discontinued
observations procurements” (see NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Industry Collaboration”); CRS uses terminated and
canceled as synonymous terms for discontinued contracts in this report. For more information about the federal
government’s ability to terminate procurement contracts, see CRS Legal Sidebar LSB11275, The Government’s Broad
Power to Terminate Procurement Contracts, by David H. Carpenter.
61 Testimony of Irene Parker, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Systems, NOAA, NESDIS, in House SST
Subcommittee on Environment, From Orbit to Operations.
62 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Industry Collaboration.”
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In early January 2026, Congress passed FY2026 appropriations (P.L. 119-74) and an
accompanying explanatory statement that addressed some of the proposed and implemented
changes to the GeoXO program.63 Specifically, Congress stated that “the revised [GeoXO]
mission architecture must include imaging and sounding as the core instruments for all satellites
with data quality standards that meet or exceed GOES–R requirements and to consider additional
instruments if they can be accommodated under a lower life cycle cost cap.”64 Later in January, a
NOAA official stated that NOAA would “ensure” congressional direction is executed “as long as
the President enacts the law.”65 In April 2026, the DOC Deputy Secretary approved a new
rebaseline of the GeoXO program that aligns with FY2026 congressional direction, with each of
the four satellites hosting an imager and a sounder (Figure 4).66 Under the revised GeoXO
mission, the first GeoXO satellite is planned to launch in 2032 and would “carry the GOES-R-era
Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and a new GeoXO Sounder instrument” (i.e., GXS).67 NOAA
plans to launch the remaining GeoXO satellites in 2034, 2039, and 2043.68 Each of these satellites
would carry GXI and GXS.69
NOAA’s FY2027 budget request, released in April 2026, states that the GeoXO constellation will
include imagers and a hyperspectral sounder,70 and estimates total program life cycle costs of
$11.9 billion.71 The budget request also states that contracts for instrument and spacecraft
elements are in the process of transitioning from cost-plus to firm-fixed-price contracts.72
NOAA’s FY2026 budget request first requested this change in contract type.73 A firm-fixed-price
contract would not be subject to any adjustment on the basis of the contractor’s cost experience in
performing the contract, meaning the maximum risk and responsibility for the costs would be
placed on the contractor.74
63 “Explanatory Statement Submitted by Representative Cole, Chair of the House Committee on Appropriations,
Regarding H.R. 6938, Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment
Appropriations Act, 2026,” Congressional Record, vol. 172 (January 8, 2026). The explanatory statement stated that
H.Rept. 119-272 accompanying H.R. 5342, and S.Rept. 119-44 accompanying S. 2354, “carries the same weight as
language included in this joint explanatory statement and should be complied with” unless otherwise noted.
64 S.Rept. 119-44, p. 69. See footnote 63.
65 Testimony of Irene Parker, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Systems, NOAA, NESDIS, in House SST
Subcommittee on Environment, From Orbit to Operations.
66 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Timeline.”
67 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Spacecraft & Instruments.”
68 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Spacecraft & Instruments.”
69 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Spacecraft & Instruments.”
70 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2027, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-36.
71 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2027, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-5.
72 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2027, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-36. The USAspending.gov
entries for the imager, sounder, and spacecraft contracts do not reflect a change in the contract type to a firm-fixedprice contract as of the date of this publication.
73 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2026, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-19.
74 Federal Acquisition Regulation, “16.305, Cost-plus-award-fee contracts,” https://www.acquisition.gov/far/16.305.
For more information about federal procurement contracts, see CRS Report R48784, Types of Federal Procurement
Contracts, by Alexandra G. Neenan and Dominick A. Fiorentino.
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Figure 4. GeoXO Constellation and Instruments As Planned Under the Trump
Administration in 2026
After FY2026 Congressional Direction Accompanying P.L. 119-74
Source: NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Spacecraft & Instruments,” accessed May 11, 2026,
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/future-programs/geoxo/geoxo-spacecraft-instruments.
Notes: After FY2026 congressional direction in P.L. 119-74 and accompanying explanatory statement (and
S.Rept. 119-44 as incorporated by the explanatory statement), the second Trump Administration plans for a
four-satellite program with each satellite carrying imager and sounder instruments.
GeoXO Budget and Funding
Congress has appropriated funding to NOAA for geostationary satellite programs over the years,
including for GeoXO. Some NOAA documents have indicated that the GeoXO program began in
2019; however, future geostationary satellites (i.e., GeoXO) were first noted in NOAA’s FY2020
budget request and the Senate report associated with FY2020 appropriations. NOAA has
requested a total of $2.7 billion for GeoXO between FY2020 and FY2026.75 CRS estimates that
Congress has provided approximately $1.72 billion for GeoXO since FY2020.76 NOAA is
requesting $500.0 million in FY2027 for GeoXO.77
Issues for Congress
The Trump Administration aims to reduce federal spending by modifying GeoXO.78
Modifications to the GeoXO program, including the number of satellites and planned instruments,
75 CRS estimated the total from NOAA’s annual budget requests.
76 CRS estimated the total from explanatory statements accompanying annual appropriations laws and the FY2027
NOAA budget request.
77 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2027, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-58.
78 The second Trump Administration aims to keep the total cost of GeoXO to less than $12 billion and to keep annual
costs under $500 million (OMB, Pre-Decisional 2026 Passback Agency Funding Highlights).
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may impact NOAA’s continuous observational coverage over the Western Hemisphere, among
other possible consequences. The sections below discuss some of the potential consequences of
GeoXO modifications, including launch delays and data gaps associated with canceled GeoXO
contracts, loss of data due to the elimination of certain instruments, and reduced operational and
research gains due to the deployment of GOES-R-era instruments in place of new GeoXO
instruments. Congress may weigh the potential consequences associated with modifying the
GeoXO program against the benefits of reducing the program’s total cost, as intended by the
Trump Administration.
Cancellation of Contracts
In April 2025, NOAA stated that FY2026 funding would go toward the “termination costs related
to the ocean color, atmospheric composition, and advanced lightning mapper contracts as
necessary,” among other things related to the GeoXO program.79 Some Members of Congress
have raised concerns about the cancellation of previously awarded GeoXO contracts, especially
given that NOAA had not notified congressional authorizing committees about canceled contracts
and other modifications to the GeoXO program.80 In January 2026, Congress directed NOAA to
submit a revised GeoXO mission architecture, including component costs and planned launch
schedule, before terminating any GeoXO program elements.81 The cancellation and potential
recompetition of these contracts could cause delays to the planned launch timeline and/or data
gaps should GOES-R Series satellites fail or reach their end of life (anticipated in the early 2030s)
prior to the launch of the first GeoXO satellite (anticipated in 2032).
Other NOAA satellite contracts have been canceled in the past. For example, the National PolarOrbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), a planned program between
the-then Department of Defense (DOD), NOAA, and NASA, experienced significant instrument
development and triagency management challenges, among other issues, that posed potential data
gaps.82 A presidential task force disbanded the NPOESS program and restructured it into separate
NOAA and DOD satellite programs to ensure weather and climate data continuity.83 The
restructuring involved the transfer or termination of some NPOESS contracts.84 Congress could
choose to establish a similar task force to determine next steps, or otherwise require the agency to
79 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2026, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-27.
80 Ranking Member Maria Cantwell, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, “Democratic
Questions for the Record,” Nominations on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at 10:00 A.M.,
https://www.commerce.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/media/doc/
QFR%20DEMOCRATS%20Taylor%20Jordan%207.15.25.pdf (hereinafter Ranking Member Maria Cantwell,
“Democratic QFRs”); Remarks from Representative Gabe Amo, Ranking Member of the House SST Environment
Subcommittee, in House SST Subcommittee on Environment, From Orbit to Operations; and Representative Zoe
Lofgren, Ranking Member of the House Committee on SST, Opening Statement for A Review of the President’s Fiscal
Year 2027 Budget Request for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, hearing, April 28, 2026.
81 S.Rept. 119-44, p. 69. See footnote 63.
82 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellites: Changing Requirements,
Technical Issues, and Looming Data Gaps Require Focused Attention, GAO-12-604, June 2012 (hereinafter GAO,
Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellites, GAO-12-604).
83 GAO, Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellites, GAO-12-604.
84 GAO, Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellites, GAO-12-604. Also, see Turner Brinton, “White House Dissolves
NPOESS Partnership in Blow to Northrop,” SpaceNews, February 2, 2010, https://spacenews.com/white-housedissolves-npoess-partnership-blow-northrop/; and Mike Gruss, “Northrop Grumman Awarded $152 Million for
Canceled NPOESS Program,” SpaceNews, August 28, 2013, https://spacenews.com/36984northrop-grumman-awarded152-million-for-canceled-npoess-program/.
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retain or reauthorize the Biden Administration-era contracts and resultant instruments/satellite
architecture moving forward, among other considerations.
Senator Maria Cantwell has questioned whether companies will sue the federal government for
termination costs associated with the canceled GeoXO contracts.85 When terminating for
convenience, the government is typically liable to the contractor for costs, including reasonable
profits, for the portion of the contract already performed; certain costs incurred in anticipation of
performance; and costs associated with terminating the contract.86 Some of the terminated
contracts have already outlaid more than $35 million.87 The contracted companies might forgo
requesting termination costs. For example, the companies that had GeoXO contracts for the
eliminated instruments (ACX, LMX, and OCX) continue to participate in other GeoXO contracts
(see Table 1). One of the contractors, L3Harris, reportedly said it is “committed” to navigating
any program changes.88
The FY2026 budget request stated that “NOAA will work with NASA to convert the imager,
sounder, and spacecraft contracts from cost-plus to firm-fixed price.”89 On April 30, 2026,
President Trump issued Executive Order 14402, “Promoting Efficiency, Accountability, and
Performance in Federal Contracting,” making it the “policy of [the Trump] Administration that
fixed-price contracts with performance-based considerations should serve as the default and
preferred method of procurement” as a means to “incentivize performance rather than cost
inflation.”90 Lockheed Martin reportedly said its contracts for the GeoXO mission could be “wellsuited” for a firm-fixed-price contract.91 According to one article, some stakeholders have
expressed concerns that firm-fixed-price contracts may not provide as much savings as aimed for
by the Administration.92 Others may argue that while the contractor bears the cost risks under a
fixed-price contract, the government may assume the schedule or performance risk if the
contractor is unable to fulfill the operational needs.93
NASA as an Acquisition Agent
NASA awarded contracts for GeoXO spacecraft and instruments in 2023 and 2024. In the
FY2026 budget request, NOAA stated that “with appropriate acquisition authorities, the contracts
may be novated from NASA to NOAA as the acquisition agent, as the Administration addresses
unnecessary layers of bureaucratic oversight.”94 In January 2026, a NOAA official testified that
NASA continued to be the primary acquisition agent for the GeoXO program and that NOAA had
85 Ranking Member Maria Cantwell, “Democratic QFRs.”
86 See CRS Legal Sidebar LSB11275, The Government’s Broad Power to Terminate Procurement Contracts, by David
H. Carpenter.
87 For example, see USAspending.gov, “Contract Summary: GEOXO OCEAN COLOR INSTRUMENT
IMPLEMENTATION CONTRACT,” https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_80GSFC24CA035_8000_NONE-_-NONE-.
88 Tim Fernholz, “NOAA’s Weather Sat Do-Over Starts with Less,” Payload Space, August 29, 2025,
https://payloadspace.com/noaas-weather-sat-do-over-starts-with-less/ (hereinafter Fernholz, “NOAA’s Weather Sat DoOver Starts with Less”).
89 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2026, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-27.
90 Executive Office of the President, Executive Order 14402 of April 30, 2026, “Promoting Efficiency, Accountability,
and Performance in Federal Contracting,” 91 Federal Register 24325, May 5, 2026.
91 Fernholz, “NOAA’s Weather Sat Do-Over Starts with Less.”
92 Fernholz, “NOAA’s Weather Sat Do-Over Starts with Less.”
93 See CRS Report R48784, Types of Federal Procurement Contracts, by Alexandra G. Neenan and Dominick A.
Fiorentino.
94 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2026, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-19.
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the authority to approve the acquisition strategy.95 NOAA’s FY2027 budget request did not
include a request to change acquisition agents; the Trump Administration’s reason for no longer
requesting a change in acquisition agents or additional authorities is unclear. Congress may
consider specifying its preference for which agency should lead GeoXO acquisition activities,
and therefore provide NOAA with additional authorities if necessary, or retain the agency’s
existing authorities. As part of its deliberations, Congress might weigh whether changes to
NOAA’s and NASA’s workforces during the second Trump Administration may impact the
agencies’ ability to implement new or existing acquisition authorities.
NOAA and the Private Sector
Multiple Congresses and Administrations have supported NESDIS’s partnership with the private
sector, including as it relates to geostationary satellites. A 2018 NOAA study found that a hybrid
architecture of government-owned satellites and commercially hosted payloads in the
geostationary position would best meet the agency’s needs.96 A 2024 NOAA report found that
GeoXO, as conceived by the Biden Administration, could also host a commercial partner payload
on the central satellite (Figure 1), but did not identify the commercial partner.97 The Trump
Administration’s current plan does not include a commercial partner payload (Figure 4);
however, the FY2026 budget request proposed that NOAA would “award a contract for a
commercial mission to handle all satellite, launch, commissioning, and operations” related to
GeoXO.98 NOAA’s FY2027 budget request does not contain similar language, and the Trump
Administration has not shared further information regarding its commercial mission plans. Given
that the FY2027 budget request omits mention of a commercial partner payload or commercial
mission contract, Congress may wish to continue its previous support for partnerships with the
private sector and direct NOAA to include a commercial partner in the GeoXO program in certain
capacities, if that aligns with current congressional priorities. In its oversight capacity, Congress
could require NOAA to explain why its FY2027 budget request did not include a commercial
partner, and whether that reflects a change in Administration policy compared to its FY2026
request or an alternative objective.
Data and Satellite Configuration Concerns
NOAA depends on continuous observational coverage over the United States for its weather
forecasts. A gap in coverage could “impact NOAA’s ability to track and issue warnings about
severe weather,” according to a 2026 DOC OIG report.99 For FY2026, Congress directed “NOAA
to procure a revised [GeoXO] mission architecture that retains continuity of data in geostationary
orbit, while modernizing core weather-monitoring capabilities and maintaining first launch in
2032.”100 On April 27, 2026, the DOC Deputy Secretary approved a new rebaseline of the
GeoXO program that aligns with FY2026 congressional direction.101 Modifications to the types
95 Testimony of Irene Parker, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Systems, NOAA, NESDIS, in House SST
Subcommittee on Environment, From Orbit to Operations.
96 NOAA, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Satellite Observing System Architecture
Study: Building a Plan for NOAA’s 21st Century Satellite Observing System, Draft, May 31, 2018, pp. 23-27.
97 NOAA, Report to Congress: Next Generation Weather, p. 11.
98 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2026, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-19.
99 DOC, OIG, Office of Audit and Evaluation, Evaluation of NOAA’s Progress Implementing the GeoXO Satellite
Program.
100 S.Rept. 119-44, p. 69. See footnote 63.
101 NOAA, NESDIS, “GeoXO Timeline.”
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and configuration of the satellites at this point in the procurement cycle may lead to a potential
gap in data. Congress may opt to conduct additional oversight over whether NOAA continues to
adhere to congressional priorities and direction related to GeoXO, as reflected in the new
rebaseline of the program.102
Continuity of Data
The 2026 DOC OIG report, which was based on the Biden Administration’s GeoXO plan,
identified the potential for at least a three-month gap in imaging observations under a scenario
where the first GeoXO launch is delayed and a current GOES-R Series satellite fails.103 A launch
delay could have several consequences, including a potential gap in continuous weather coverage
over the Western Hemisphere. However, OMB determined in 2025 that the “health” of the
GOES-R Series satellites minimized the risk for such a data gap.104 It remains unclear whether
modifications made by the second Trump Administration have delayed NOAA and NASA’s
progress on the GeoXO mission.
NOAA has previously purchased commercial satellite data to complement its Earth
observations.105 Commercial weather data purchases could potentially fill gaps in the continuity
of NOAA’s geostationary satellite observations, and some advocacy organizations have called for
the prioritization of commercial weather technologies.106 However, the commercial sector
generally launches weather or earth observation satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO), not
geostationary orbit (GEO).107 In general, LEO satellites fly at altitudes less than 2,000 kilometers
above Earth’s surface and orbit around the Earth once every 90 minutes, rather than providing
continuous observations over a certain portion of the Earth like GEO satellites.108 In addition,
commercial satellite data would also likely require a period of comparison with federal satellite
data before commercial data would be considered a replacement for federal assets.109 Congress
may direct NOAA to determine whether and how commercial satellite providers could provide
102 For example, see remarks from Representative Gabe Amo, Ranking Member of the House SST Environment
Subcommittee, in House SST Subcommittee on Environment, From Orbit to Operations.
103 DOC, OIG, Evaluation of NOAA’s Progress Implementing the GeoXO Satellite Program, p. 5.
104 OMB, Pre-Decisional 2026 Passback Agency Funding Highlights, p. 6.
105 NOAA, NESDIS, “Search News,” https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news-events/search-news?tag=1,1126,1186.
106 For example, The Heritage Foundation, Mandate for Leadership: The Conservation Promise, Project 2025, 2023, p.
675 (hereinafter The Heritage Foundation, Project 2025).
107 Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), “UCS Satellite Database,” updated May 1, 2023, https://www.ucs.org/
resources/satellite-database. UCS identified over 7,500 satellites launched and operating through April 2023 (UCS
stopped tracking satellites after this time). As part of its database, UCS tracked information on satellite
operator/owners, their countries, users, purposes, orbits, and other characteristics. Of the 7,560 records, 690 satellites
had users in the “commercial” or commercial/other user sector, with “earth observation” (or related), “earth science,”
“meteorological,” or “space science” purposes as defined by UCS. All 690 were identified as being in low-Earth orbit
(LEO). CRS did not otherwise identify a comprehensive source of satellite information.
108 European Space Agency, “Types of Orbits,” March 30, 2020, http://esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/
Types_of_orbits. According to NOAA, meteorologists use LEO data for long-term and near-term weather forecasts
(NOAA, NESDIS, “From Orbit to Outlook: How LEO Satellites Enhance Weather Forecasting,” March 10, 2025,
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/orbit-outlook-how-leo-satellites-enhance-weather-forecasting).
109 For example, see letter from Dr. Steve Volz to the House Committee on SST Chairman Brian Babin and Ranking
Member Zoe Lofgren and the Environment Subcommittee Chairman Scott Franklin and Ranking Member Gabe Amo
for the hearing on From Orbit to Operations: How Weather Satellites Support the National Security Mission, January
11, 2026 (hereinafter Letter from Steve Volz (personal capacity) for the House SST Subcommittee on Environment,
From Orbit to Operations). Dr. Steve Volz, Assistant Administrator of NESDIS, was placed on administrative leave by
the acting director of NOAA on July 24, 2025. He remained on administrative leave until his retirement from NOAA in
July 2026.
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geostationary weather data and evaluate how data from commercial sources compare to data
traditionally used.
Logistical Challenges
Under FY2026 congressional direction and the Trump Administration’s revised plan, each
GeoXO satellite would carry GXI and GXS instruments (Figure 4).110 Some stakeholders have
questioned whether the planned GeoXO spacecraft design can handle a combination of the two
small-car-sized instruments.111 Lockheed Martin, the company awarded the GeoXO spacecraft
contract, is reportedly strategizing how to solve the logistical challenge of carrying two
instruments of this size on one satellite.112 Outstanding questions for Congress include whether
these logistical challenges can be overcome for the single satellite, and whether the planned
satellite architecture will be achieved on schedule. The Biden Administration’s plan had avoided
this issue by proposing to fly GXS, along with ACX and a commercial partner payload, on a
third, central satellite (GEO-Central) and GXI, along with LMX and OCX, on each of GEO-East
and GEO-West (Figure 1). The Biden Administration proposed a three-satellite operational
geostationary mission that differed from the currently operational two-satellite GOES-R Series
mission. 113 The GOES-R Series mission does not include a sounder and therefore did not
encounter this problem during development and launch.114
Improved or Additional Data
NOAA anticipates that GXI would be an operational follow-on and improvement to the GOES-R
Series imager (ABI).115 GXI would produce higher-resolution data compared to ABI, thereby
improving short-range weather forecasting and severe weather watches and warnings, among
other environmental observation and monitoring improvements. While the Trump Administration
plans to deploy GXI on the second, third, and fourth launched GeoXO satellites, the first GeoXO
satellite would carry an ABI instrument equivalent to those on currently operational GOES-R
Series satellites, thereby meeting the congressional directive to include imaging with “data
quality standards that meet or exceed GOES-R requirements.”116 The launch of ABI in 2032
would maintain the status quo for imaging data, but would delay the collection of advanced
imaging data with GXI until 2039, when the next satellite for that position over the United States
is scheduled for launch.
NOAA anticipated that LMX would extend lightning observations for another two decades and
fill data gaps over the ocean.117 Lightning mappers serve to improve lightning safety, severe
thunderstorm and tornado warnings, wildfire response, short-term model forecasts, precipitation
110 S.Rept. 119-44, p. 69. See footnote 63.
111
Fernholz, “NOAA’s Weather Sat Do-Over Starts with Less.”
112 Fernholz, “NOAA’s Weather Sat Do-Over Starts with Less.”
113 GOES-R, “GOES-R Series Instruments Overview,” https://www.goes-r.gov/spacesegment/instruments.html.
114 NOAA currently includes sounder instruments in its LEO missions. NOAA, NESDIS, “JPSS Satellite and
Instruments,” https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/currently-flying/joint-polar-satellite-system/jpss-satellite-andinstruments; and NOAA, NESDIS, “Office of Low Earth Orbit Observations,” https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/about/ouroffices/office-of-low-earth-orbit-observations.
115 Lindsey et al., “GeoXO: NOAA’s Future Geostationary Satellite System,” pp. E663-E664.
116 S.Rept. 119-44, p. 69. See footnote 63
117 Jeffrey Adkins, GeoXO Benefit Analysis, Integrated Systems Solutions, Inc., contractor for the NOAA chief
economist, August 2022, , https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/47719, p. 41 (hereinafter Adkins, GeoXO
Benefit Analysis); and Lindsey et al., “GeoXO: NOAA’s Future Geostationary Satellite System,” pp. E664-E665.
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estimation, tropical cyclone diagnosis and warning, and aviation operations across the United
States, according to one study.118 The Trump Administration did not provide details on its
decision to eliminate LMX from its GeoXO configuration; however, as of January 2026, NOAA
had been comparing the effectiveness of space-based lightning mappers like LMX and GLM
against commercial ground-based observation. In the absence of LMX or GLM, ground-based
lightning observations could inform forecasts, but they have geographic limitations compared to
space-based lightning mappers. For example, ground-based lightning observations are less able to
inform how rapidly hurricanes intensify over the ocean before making landfall.119
The benefits of ACX included air quality forecasting, weather and climate forecasting, fire
weather forecasting, hazards forecasting, stratospheric ozone monitoring, and air quality
monitoring, according to one study.120 The Trump Administration canceled the contract for
ACX.121 In the absence of ACX, forecasters may continue to depend on NASA’s Tropospheric
Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument for “measurements of ozone, nitrogen
dioxide, formaldehyde, aerosols, and other constituents important for understanding air
quality.”122 ACX was anticipated to be an operational follow-on to TEMPO.123 NOAA has
eliminated instruments from previous satellite missions, such as eliminating the sounder
instrument from the GOES-R Series mission;124 however, some note that cancelling planned
upgrades to instruments is not without cost.125
The main benefits of OCX included monitoring and forecasting primary production for fisheries
models, harmful algal blooms, and hypoxia (i.e., low or depleted oxygen in a water body),
according to one study.126 Ocean color data also provides information about turbidity (i.e., the
amount of particles in the water) and ocean currents, which can inform U.S. naval operations.127
The OCX instrument would have provided ocean color data for the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific
Ocean (including waters around Hawaii and southern Alaska), the Gulf of America, waters
around Puerto Rico, and the Great Lakes.128 Congress had directed NOAA to partner with NASA
118 Adkins, GeoXO Benefit Analysis, p. 41.
119 NOAA, NESDIS, “Can Lightning Research Improve Hurricane Intensity Forecasts? A Q&A With NOAA’s Dr.
Stephanie Stevenson,” June 2, 2023, https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/can-lightning-research-improve-hurricaneintensity-forecasts-qa-noaas-dr-stephanie-stevenson. For more information about hurricane rapid intensification, see
CRS Report R48212, Hurricane Rapid Intensification: In Brief, by Eva Lipiec.
120 Adkins, GeoXO Benefit Analysis, p. 57.
121 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2026, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-19; and NOAA, NESDIS,
“GeoXO Spacecraft & Instruments.”
122 NASA “TEMPO,” https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/data/instruments/tempo. NASA launched TEMPO in 2023 and is
reportedly optimistic that it will remain operational for at least 10 years (Debra Werner, “NASA Will ‘Baby’ TEMPO
to Extend Its Life,” SpaceNews, December 13, 2023, https://spacenews.com/nasa-will-baby-tempo-to-extend-its-life/).
123 Lindsey et al., “GeoXO: NOAA’s Future Geostationary Satellite System,” p. E668.
124 See Jonathan Coopersmith, “Why NOAA Wants Its Sounders,” Aerospace America, June 1, 2022,
https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/features/why-noaa-wants-its-sounders/.
125 For example, in a January 2026 letter to the House SST Environment Subcommittee, Steve Volz (in his personal
capacity), claimed that “cancelling planned and well vetted system upgrades will stall progress in critical areas and will
lead to reductions in overall system and mission performance.” Letter from Steve Volz for the House SST
Subcommittee on Environment, From Orbit to Operations.
126 Adkins, GeoXO Benefit Analysis, p. 49. Hypoxia refers to water conditions that have dissolved oxygen levels below
2 milligrams per liter (NOAA, “Hypoxia,” https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/hypoxia/).
127 For example, see PACE: Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE), “Early Adopter,”
https://pace.oceansciences.org/people_ea.htm?id=57.
128 DOC, OIG, Office of Audit and Evaluation, The GeoXO Program: Cost and Schedule Baselines, p. 7.
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on a GeoXO ocean color instrument in FY2023 and FY2024.129 The Trump Administration
canceled the contract for OCX.130 In the absence of OCX, researchers and other stakeholders may
continue to depend on dispersed existing ocean-based observations, or depend on the periodic
ocean color data provided by orbiting LEO satellites (e.g., NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System
or NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem satellite).131 However, some scientists
contend that existing ocean color observations from LEO satellites can be limited by cloud cover
and glare from the sun.132 According to NASA, the advanced technology of OCX would have
“solve[d] a series of ubiquitous problems faced in remote sensing, enabling us to see around
pervasive cloud cover, adequately resolve dynamic coastal features, and provide better
information about the composition of the water.”133
The second Trump Administration eliminated ACX, OCX, and LMX from the GeoXO mission as
part of its strategy to reduce the total cost and change the focus of the program (to a weatherfocused mission).134 Some news articles state that some of these instruments may have been
eliminated from the GeoXO program because of their climate applications (Figure 2), as
proposed by some stakeholder groups.135 CRS did not identify any public NOAA sources that
corroborate that the use of these instruments for climate applications is the reason for their
elimination.
129 “Explanatory Statement Submitted by Senator Leahy, Chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Regarding
H.R. 2617, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023,” Congressional Record, vol. 168 (January 20, 2022), p. S7918;
“Explanatory Statement Submitted by Senator Murray, Chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Regarding
H.R. 4366, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” Congressional Record, vol. 170 (March 5, 2024), p. S1402; and
S.Rept. 118-62, p. 62.
130 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2026, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-19; and NOAA, NESDIS,
“GeoXO Spacecraft & Instruments.”
131 NOAA, NESDIS, “Joint Polar Satellite System,” https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/currently-flying/jointpolar-satellite-system; NASA, “PACE,” https://science.nasa.gov/mission/pace/; and PACE, “Information for the
Media.” PACE, launched in 2024, has a 3-year design life and 10 years of propellant. The next Join Polar Satellite
System launch is anticipated in 2027.
132 Lindsey et al., “GeoXO: NOAA’s Future Geostationary Satellite System,” p. E665.
133 NASA, “GeoXO -OCX,” December 9, 2024, https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5417/.
134 NOAA, Budget Estimates: Fiscal Year 2026, Congressional Submission, p. NESDIS-27.
135 Andrew Freedman, “Trump Admin Strips Ocean and Air Pollution Monitoring from Next-Gen Weather Satellites,”
CNN, August 20, 2025, https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/20/weather/noaa-satellites-climate-trump; and Fernholz,
“NOAA’s Weather Sat Do-Over Starts with Less.” For example, the elimination of these instruments would align with
some of policy proposals that The Heritage Foundation advocates for in Project 2025, such as reducing the source of
“climate alarmism” within NOAA. The Heritage Foundation, Project 2025, p. 676.
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Appendix. Abbreviations
Abbreviations used in this report are listed below, alphabetically.
Glossary of Frequently Used Abbreviations
ABI
Advanced Baseline Imager
ACX
GeoXO Atmospheric Composition
DOC
Department of Commerce
GEO
Geostationary Orbit
GOES-R
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites R
GeoXO
Geostationary Extended Observations
GLM
Geostationary Lightning Mapper
GXI
GeoXO Imager
GXS
GeoXO Sounder
LEO
Low-Earth Orbit
LMX
GeoXO Lightning Mapper
NASA
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NESDIS
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NWS
National Weather Service
OCX
GeoXO Ocean Color
OIG
Office of Inspector General
OMB
Office of Management and Budget
Author Information
Caitlin Keating-Bitonti
Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
Congressional Research Service
Eva Lipiec
Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
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Disclaimer
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