Northrop Grumman is a partner with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the current architecture study phase for the next series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites. GOES-R. The end-to-end architecture development phase will lead to the deployment of new technologies and data products into the ongoing operational mission for short-term severe weather, space-based weather, and climate observation.

The GOES-R program will incorporate new instruments into the next series of satellites with an initial launch readiness of 2012. System improvements also will be accomplished for data products, product distribution, and user access to the real-time and archived GOES-R products. Improvements to the GOES-R system will serve a range of missions, including:

• Severe storm and flood warnings
• Tropical cyclone (hurricane reconnaissance and warnings)
• Hydrologic forecasts and water resources management
• Short-term and mesoscale forecasts
• Ocean surface and internal structures forecasts
• Medium range forecast outlook
• Solar and space environmental forecasts
• Aviation forecasts (domestic, military, and international)
• Ice condition forecasts
• Seasonal and inter-annual climate forecasts
• Decadal-scale monitoring of climate variability
• Environmental air quality monitoring and emergency response
• Fire and volcanic eruption detection and analysis
• Long-term global environmental change assessment

NOAA’s GOES satellites provide data products to other government agencies and the commercial, educational, and public sectors to protect lives, property and the environment, and to foster economic growth and promote educational research. The future GOES-R mission is expected to increase understanding of climate variability and improve the quality and timeliness of environmental forecasts, ecosystems management, and transportation of commerce systems, thus expanding the safety and economic security of the public.