SpaceX-led Elon Musk has won a $152 million contract from NASA to launch a geostationary weather satellite as part of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-U (GOES-U) mission.
These satellites will help predict thunderstorms, fog, tornadoes, flash floods, tornadoes and other weather conditions. NASA says the GOES satellite is used to monitor dust storms, volcanic eruptions and forest fires.
“The Geostationary Operational Satellite-U (GOES-U) mission will provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth’s weather, oceans and environment, as well as real-time mapping of overall lightning activity and improved monitoring of solar activity and space weather,” NASA said in a statement. a statement.
Starting April 2024, Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, will launch satellites into orbit on Falcon Heavy rockets from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Considered the most powerful operational space launch vehicle in the world, the 23-story Falcon Heavy will have its first commercial payload into orbit in 2019. Operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it is the world’s fourth and final spacecraft. The GOES-R series of geostationary weather satellites.
Space News United Launch Alliance, which previously launched the satellite series, reported that it pulled out of the show because it didn’t have a satellite launch vehicle available.
SpaceX’s contract is worth less than the $165.7 million contract awarded to the United Launch Alliance in December 2019 to launch GOES-T.
This is not the first big-budget contract SpaceX has received from NASA. It already has a $178 million contract from the space agency to explore conditions for life on Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. The Europa Clipper mission will also launch on a Falcon Heavy rocket in October 2024.
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