US weather agency dangles $396M to run ops for its next space-watching fleet
(2025/08/13)
- Reference: 1755107113
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/08/13/noaa_nextgen_space_weather_program/
- Source link:
The more our Earth-bound society learns to rely on electronics, the greater the risk that weather from the stars shatters our reality. That's why US government space watchers are seeking a company to help them operate the next generation of space weather satellites.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which watches and predicts Earth's weather for the US government, is also responsible for monitoring the weather outside our atmosphere, where things like solar flares, [1]solar storms , and other celestial phenomena threaten to wreak havoc on Earth. Current monitoring satellites and existing tech are becoming obsolete, however, which is why the Administration put out a [2]request for proposals on Monday to get input on how to manage the next generation of its space weather observing system.
The need for good space weather monitoring is an increasingly important part of modern society. Researchers in the UK found that even relatively mild solar storms could [3]mess up train signaling systems , creating a serious safety risk. Humanity is also increasingly considering putting infrastructure in orbit, leaving critical stuff [4]right in the unprotected path of solar weather.
[5]
The contract is seeking "a multi-mission operations service architecture to support all Space Weather Next (SW Next) space weather environmental observations," according to the RFP page. NOAA didn't offer more specifics in the description of the program, with the agency noting that it would determine specific supplies and service requirements at the task order level later on.
[6]
[7]
In other words, you're bidding on something to do with managing the [8]SW Next program , but you'll have to wait to find out about the specifics until later, with submissions still due by September 18. NOAA may award as much as $396 million as part of the deal, with work planned to begin in April 2026 and conclude by 2031.
That puts whatever management systems are part of the contract at a completion date a few years after NOAA plans to launch its first new space weather observatory as part of SW Next. That mission, which will place spacecraft able to take real-time images of the Sun's corona and measure upstream solar wind at Lagrange point 1 (L1), isn't adding new capabilities to NOAA's space weather tracking. Instead, it is launching "to provide continuity" of services that satellites nearing the end of their lives already perform. The L1 Series mission is targeting 2029 for its first launch, and 2032 for a second L1 satellite.
[9]
Unlike the L2 point where the James Webb Space Telescope sits beyond Earth's orbit of the Sun, L1 sits between the Sun and Earth.
While L1 space weather satellites are nothing new, L5 monitoring is, and that's also part of SW Next. That mission, which plans to launch in 2031, will place a spacecraft with devices including a NOAA-provided compact coronagraph at L5, a distant vantage point that will get a continuous side-on view of space between the Sun and Earth.
[10]
The Lagrange points being used by SW Next - Click to enlarge
The SW Next program's web page also mentions ground services, and while we can't know for sure what parts of SW Next's ground services are involved in this latest RFP, the description at least gives us a clue. The SW Next page indicates that ground services include command and control, data processing, product distribution and more. They also incorporate commercial partner services, alongside NOAA's own capabilities.
[11]Chap found chunks of an asteroid older than Earth in his suburban living room
[12]NASA mulls sending a rescue rocket to boost Swift observatory's orbit
[13]Earth's atmosphere is shrinking and thinning, which is bad news for Starlink and other LEO Sats
[14]China reveals space weather radar it claims represents a breakthrough
If everything goes to plan, NOAA could have ground systems up and running by the time those L1 and L5 satellites come online.
Regardless of whether the timing is right, NOAA still plans to carry on providing its measurements and observations to researchers - unlike what it's doing with terrestrial weather data.
NOAA took an advanced hurricane forecasting model and [15]hid it from the public last year, despite it being publicly funded, because a private insurance agency helped with some of the work. That exclusivity deal has since expired, but the Trump administration eliminated the hurricane data feed again last month [16]citing cybersecurity concerns . You can [17]collect the data by using amateur radio technology and it isn't encrypted, provided you're in US territory.
[18]
NOAA didn't respond to questions for this story. ®
Get our [19]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/09/g4_solar_storm/
[2] https://sam.gov/opp/3f7da1eca8af48cb865ab1d67e7f8879/view#20250813
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/12/train_solar_storm/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/25/orbital_datacenters_subject_to_all/
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aJ0K9YKBSEbwgfM-heB0QAAAARc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJ0K9YKBSEbwgfM-heB0QAAAARc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aJ0K9YKBSEbwgfM-heB0QAAAARc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/future-programs/space-weather-next
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJ0K9YKBSEbwgfM-heB0QAAAARc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/08/13/sw-next-lagrange-points.jpg
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/13/mcdonough_meteorite/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/13/nasa_mulls_sending_a_rescue/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/11/greenhouse_gases_reduce_satellite_capacity_paper/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/24/china_space_weather_radar/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/01/government_hurricane_forecast_secrecy/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/07/cyber_security_behind_dod_satellite_data_cutoff/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/21/ssmis_satellite_decoder/
[18] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aJ0K9YKBSEbwgfM-heB0QAAAARc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[19] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which watches and predicts Earth's weather for the US government, is also responsible for monitoring the weather outside our atmosphere, where things like solar flares, [1]solar storms , and other celestial phenomena threaten to wreak havoc on Earth. Current monitoring satellites and existing tech are becoming obsolete, however, which is why the Administration put out a [2]request for proposals on Monday to get input on how to manage the next generation of its space weather observing system.
The need for good space weather monitoring is an increasingly important part of modern society. Researchers in the UK found that even relatively mild solar storms could [3]mess up train signaling systems , creating a serious safety risk. Humanity is also increasingly considering putting infrastructure in orbit, leaving critical stuff [4]right in the unprotected path of solar weather.
[5]
The contract is seeking "a multi-mission operations service architecture to support all Space Weather Next (SW Next) space weather environmental observations," according to the RFP page. NOAA didn't offer more specifics in the description of the program, with the agency noting that it would determine specific supplies and service requirements at the task order level later on.
[6]
[7]
In other words, you're bidding on something to do with managing the [8]SW Next program , but you'll have to wait to find out about the specifics until later, with submissions still due by September 18. NOAA may award as much as $396 million as part of the deal, with work planned to begin in April 2026 and conclude by 2031.
That puts whatever management systems are part of the contract at a completion date a few years after NOAA plans to launch its first new space weather observatory as part of SW Next. That mission, which will place spacecraft able to take real-time images of the Sun's corona and measure upstream solar wind at Lagrange point 1 (L1), isn't adding new capabilities to NOAA's space weather tracking. Instead, it is launching "to provide continuity" of services that satellites nearing the end of their lives already perform. The L1 Series mission is targeting 2029 for its first launch, and 2032 for a second L1 satellite.
[9]
Unlike the L2 point where the James Webb Space Telescope sits beyond Earth's orbit of the Sun, L1 sits between the Sun and Earth.
While L1 space weather satellites are nothing new, L5 monitoring is, and that's also part of SW Next. That mission, which plans to launch in 2031, will place a spacecraft with devices including a NOAA-provided compact coronagraph at L5, a distant vantage point that will get a continuous side-on view of space between the Sun and Earth.
[10]
The Lagrange points being used by SW Next - Click to enlarge
The SW Next program's web page also mentions ground services, and while we can't know for sure what parts of SW Next's ground services are involved in this latest RFP, the description at least gives us a clue. The SW Next page indicates that ground services include command and control, data processing, product distribution and more. They also incorporate commercial partner services, alongside NOAA's own capabilities.
[11]Chap found chunks of an asteroid older than Earth in his suburban living room
[12]NASA mulls sending a rescue rocket to boost Swift observatory's orbit
[13]Earth's atmosphere is shrinking and thinning, which is bad news for Starlink and other LEO Sats
[14]China reveals space weather radar it claims represents a breakthrough
If everything goes to plan, NOAA could have ground systems up and running by the time those L1 and L5 satellites come online.
Regardless of whether the timing is right, NOAA still plans to carry on providing its measurements and observations to researchers - unlike what it's doing with terrestrial weather data.
NOAA took an advanced hurricane forecasting model and [15]hid it from the public last year, despite it being publicly funded, because a private insurance agency helped with some of the work. That exclusivity deal has since expired, but the Trump administration eliminated the hurricane data feed again last month [16]citing cybersecurity concerns . You can [17]collect the data by using amateur radio technology and it isn't encrypted, provided you're in US territory.
[18]
NOAA didn't respond to questions for this story. ®
Get our [19]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/09/g4_solar_storm/
[2] https://sam.gov/opp/3f7da1eca8af48cb865ab1d67e7f8879/view#20250813
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/12/train_solar_storm/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/25/orbital_datacenters_subject_to_all/
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aJ0K9YKBSEbwgfM-heB0QAAAARc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJ0K9YKBSEbwgfM-heB0QAAAARc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aJ0K9YKBSEbwgfM-heB0QAAAARc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/future-programs/space-weather-next
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJ0K9YKBSEbwgfM-heB0QAAAARc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/08/13/sw-next-lagrange-points.jpg
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/13/mcdonough_meteorite/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/13/nasa_mulls_sending_a_rescue/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/11/greenhouse_gases_reduce_satellite_capacity_paper/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/24/china_space_weather_radar/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/01/government_hurricane_forecast_secrecy/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/07/cyber_security_behind_dod_satellite_data_cutoff/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/21/ssmis_satellite_decoder/
[18] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aJ0K9YKBSEbwgfM-heB0QAAAARc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[19] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Didn't the weather service get Doged?
I was under the impression that satellites watching the US weather was silly and everybody was sacked.