The latest generation of NOAA weather satellites, which will be built by Lockheed Martin, will be launched into space starting in 2032. The satellites’ precise in-orbit positioning will be determined using technology from Beyond Gravity.
“For our first contract with Lockheed Martin, we will supply navigation receivers for two NOAA weather satellites. The more accurately the position of the satellite is determined by our receiver, the more accurate the weather and environmental data will be,” says Kurt Kober, Vice President, Electronic Solutions from Beyond Gravity, a space supplier headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. The NOAA GeoXO (Geostationary Extended Observations) satellites will operate at an altitude of approximately 36,000 kilometers from Earth (22,236 miles). The information GeoXO supplies will improve short-term forecasting and warning of severe weather and hazards in the Western Hemisphere.
“Our GEORIX navigation receivers are developed specifically for geostationary Earth orbit and provide an accuracy of less than 20 meters at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers. This sets a level of precision on-board real-time navigation”, says Kurt Kober. The multi-constellation GNSS receivers are being developed and produced at the Austrian Vienna site of Beyond Gravity. In 2023, the first GEORIX navigation receiver was sent into space and determined the position of the NASA climate instrument TEMPO as it measured atmospheric gases (ozone, nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde) and aerosols over North America. Currently, about 30 satellites use navigation receivers from Beyond Gravity to determine their position. The receivers are used for satellites from Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) to Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), about 1,000 kilometers to 36,000 kilometers from Earth.
The navigation receiver from Beyond Gravity for geostationary orbit, GEORIX, incorporates an antenna optimized for geostationary earth orbit, detached Low Noise Amplifiers, and advanced technology such as an accurate force model-based orbit propagator and Kalman filtering. The GEORIX navigation receiver offers a flexible acquisition and tracking concept, single-frequency signal processing of up to 12 satellites. The spaceborne navigation receiver GEORIX is configurable and features a parameter interface that supports changes in both standby and operational modes.
The GeoXO constellation will include two operational satellites — east and west. Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) is a collaborative National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA program that will provide continuous imagery and data on Earth’s atmosphere, land and ocean for operational forecasts and warnings. NASA, on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has selected Lockheed Martin in Colorado to build the spacecraft for NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations satellite program. The first GeoXO launch is planned for 2032, as the GOES-R satellites are nearing the end of their operational lifetime. The GeoXO mission will maintain and advance NOAA’s geostationary Earth observations through 2055.
GeoXO will provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth’s Western Hemisphere and real-time mapping of lightning activity. GeoXO will support short-term forecasts and warnings of extreme weather and environmental hazards.
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