Firefly Aviation will Launch of the QuickSounder satellite for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NASA said Monday that the company will provide the launch services under the Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare contract. VADR has a five-year order term, with a maximum value of $300 million across all contracts.

NOAA’s QuickSounder mission will build a low Earth orbit satellite architecture to collect data for the National Weather Service and other users around the world. It is part of the Near Earth Orbit Network, a collaboration between NOAA and NASA that is introducing a new approach to building global environmental satellite systems by using small to medium-sized satellites equipped with Earth-observing instruments.

According to NOAA, QuickSounder serve as a prototype for the agency’s next generation of environmental satellites. The satellite will use a refurbished Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder instrument launched with the Joint Polar Satellite System.

QuickSounder is scheduled to launch in February 2026.