United Launch Alliance has received a task order under the NASA Launch Services II contract to send a weather satellite for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration into space.
NASA said Thursday it expects the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T to fly aboard ULA’s Atlas V 541 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida by December 2021 and estimates that the mission will cost $165.7M.
GOES-T is designed to provide atmospheric measurements and imagery of Earth’s oceans, environment and weather conditions. The satellite will also work to monitor solar activity and map lightning strikes in real time, NASA added.
Tory Bruno, president and CEO of ULA, said in a statement the company has supported all 17 operational missions under the GOES program with the firm’s rocket technology platforms.
Kennedy Space Center’s launch services program office will oversee ULA’s launch support for the penultimate satellite in the GOES-R series.
