NASA and NOAA will work with commercial partners to design and build the network’s spacecraft and instruments.
NASA has selected Firefly Aerospace, Inc. of Cedar Park, Texas, to provide launch services for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) QuickSounder mission.
The selection is part of NASA’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) contract for launch services. This contract allows the agency to award fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts during VADR’s five-year order period, with a maximum total value of $300 million for all contracts.
The QuickSounder mission will support NOAA’s next-generation satellite architecture for its future low Earth orbit program, which will provide mission-critical data to the agency’s National Weather Service, the nation’s weather industry, and other users worldwide.
QuickSounder is the first small satellite in NOAA’s Near Earth Orbit Network (NEON). NEON, a joint project between NASA and NOAA, will provide a new approach to developing a new global environmental satellite system by rapidly building small- to medium-sized satellites with Earth observation instruments for weather forecasting, disaster management, and climate monitoring. QuickSounder is scheduled to be ready for launch in February 2026.
NASA will lead the development and launch of the satellites for NOAA. As mission manager, NOAA will provide funding and engineering requirements and will manage post-launch operations. NASA and NOAA will work with commercial partners to design and build the network’s spacecraft and instruments.
