Geostationary Extended Observations

The Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) satellite system is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s planned replacement for the existing Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) satellites. These new geostationary satellites will make weather, ocean, and climate observations. The project aims to begin observations in the early 2030s as the GOES-R satellites reach their operational lifetime. The first GeoXO satellite is scheduled to be launched in 2032, with two more following in 2035, and the mission will maintain and advance NOAA’s geostationary observations through 2055.

NASA is developing the satellites and awarded multiple "Phase A" contracts in 2021 and 2022, including ones with Lockheed Martin and Maxar to study using their LM-2100 and 1300-class satellite busses, respectively. The program was officially approved by the United States Department of Commerce in December 2022, moving the program from the study phase to the development phase, and in March 2023 NASA and NOAA awarded L3Harris a $765.5 million contract to develop the first two GeoXO Imager (GXI) instruments. On September 11, 2023, NASA and NOAA awarded Ball Aerospace (later sold to BAE Systems Inc.) a $486.9 million contract to develop the GeoXO Sounder (GXS) instrument.