To Build Lightning-Mapping Instrument For NOAA’s GeoXO Satellite

NASA announced that it has selected Lockheed Martin Corporation to develop a lightning mapping instrument for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The instrument will be incorporated into NOAA’d Geostationary Extended Observations satellite program, anticipated to begin operations in the early 2030s as the current Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites-R series (GOES-R) approach the end of their operational lifetime.

The contract is valued at about $297.1 million and includes two flight instruments plus options for two additional units. The performance period of the contract includes support for 10 years of on-orbit operations and five years of on-orbit storage prior to the start of operational observations and data relay.

The Lightning Mapper instrument will detect, locate, and measure the intensity, duration, and extent of lightning flashes. Data from the instrument will be used to analyze severe storms, increase warning time for hazardous weather, and provide earlier indications of impending lightning strikes to the ground. The data will also be incorporated into predicting hurricane intensity, detecting wildfires, estimate precipitation, and mitigate hazards to aviation.

The suite of instruments aboard the GeoXO satellite will monitor the Western Hemisphere as an element of NOAA’s observation system supporting short-term forecasts and warnings for extreme weather and long-term planning related to climate. The data are used in climate-forecasting models used to predict weather patterns and detect any emerging patterns potentially related to climate change.

FMI:  www.nesdis.noaa.gov/