NOAA Satellite and Information Service

What NOAA Satellite and Information Service does

NOAA Satellite and Information Service (NESDIS) is a line office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the U.S. Department of Commerce, headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, and operating since 1970. It is the U.S. government's operational civil environmental satellite agency, managing a 15-satellite constellation that spans three orbital regimes: geostationary (GOES-16, -17, -18, -19) at approximately 22,236 miles, polar-orbiting (Suomi NPP, NOAA-20, NOAA-21), and deep space at Lagrange Point 1 (SOLAR-1, DSCOVR). Supporting missions include COSMIC-2 for radio occultation atmospheric profiling, Jason-3 for ocean altimetry, and Argos-4 for wildlife and environmental data collection.

Core technical capabilities are delivered through proprietary instruments, most notably the GOES-R Series Advanced Baseline Imager (16 spectral bands, 5x faster scanning, 4x resolution improvement) and the first operational geostationary lightning mapper, complemented by SOLAR-1's real-time space weather delivery (under 30 minutes for coronagraph imagery versus up to 8 hours from other sources). Through its National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), NESDIS archives more than 37 petabytes of atmospheric, oceanic, coastal, and geophysical data across 111,164 collections, accessible via the NOAA OneStop portal. The agency operates a network of direct broadcast ground sites that compress polar-orbiting data-to-forecast latency from 100+ minutes to under 20 minutes.

NESDIS does not generate commercial revenue. As a federally funded public-good mission, all satellite data and products are made available at no cost to the National Weather Service, federal/state/local emergency management, the aviation and maritime industries, the scientific research community, and the general public. Funding flows through congressional appropriations to NOAA. Its customer base is institutional rather than transactional; primary users include the National Weather Service and Emergency Management Agencies for severe weather forecasting, hurricane tracking, and disaster response, supplemented by aviation, maritime, research, and public-information channels. Forward programs include GeoXO (2032 first launch), the Near Earth Orbit Network (NEON), and Space Weather Next, alongside international partnerships with NASA, ESA, CNES, EUMETSAT, and Taiwan's NSPO.

Name

NOAA Satellite and Information Service

Legal name

National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service

Website

https://nesdis.noaa.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

NESDIS is the U.S. federal agency operating a 15-satellite environmental constellation across geostationary, polar, and deep space orbits, providing free satellite data and imagery to the National Weather Service, emergency managers, aviation, maritime, research, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Satellite Data Services

NAICS

Space Research and Technology (927110), Satellite Telecommunications (5174)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB), Satellite/Aerial/Remote Sensing MRV (Methane plumes, land-use change) (EUAHADAL)

Keywords

• Environmental satellite data
• Weather observation services
• Space weather monitoring
• Earth observation imagery
• Ocean and climate monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Silver Spring

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NESDIS operates the U.S. government's environmental satellite constellation and distributes satellite-based weather, climate, ocean, and space weather data and imagery. It maintains 15 satellites in geostationary, polar, and deep space orbits, archives more than 37 petabytes of environmental data through the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), and delivers products through public websites, direct broadcast sites, and interactive mapping tools such as the Live Hurricane Tracker.

Product overview

NESDIS operates a comprehensive satellite constellation providing environmental data and imagery services. The portfolio includes geostationary satellites (GOES-R Series: GOES-16, -17, -18, -19) for continuous hemisphere monitoring, polar-orbiting satellites (JPSS: Suomi NPP, NOAA-20, NOAA-21) for global weather forecasting, and deep space observatories (SOLAR-1, DSCOVR) for space weather monitoring. Supporting systems include COSMIC-2 for atmospheric data, Jason-3 for ocean measurements, and Argos-4 for wildlife and environmental tracking. NESDIS provides interactive tools including the Live Hurricane Tracker and Earth in Real-Time mapping, while NCEI archives over 37 petabytes of environmental data. Future programs include GeoXO (2032) and NEON for next-generation capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GOES-R Series (GOES-16, -17, -18, -19) Advanced geostationary weather monitoring satellites for the Western Hemisphere, providing 16-band imagery, lightning mapping, and space weather observations for the National Weather Service, emergency managers, and the public.
• Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Polar-orbiting satellite system (Suomi NPP, NOAA-20, NOAA-21) providing global observations twice daily that serve as the backbone of U.S. numerical weather forecasting and climate monitoring.
• SOLAR-1 Space Weather Observatory NOAA's first satellite dedicated to space weather, positioned at Lagrange Point 1 to provide real-time monitoring of solar wind, coronal mass ejections, and geomagnetic threats that affect power grids, communications, navigation, and astronaut safety.
• DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) Deep space observatory at Lagrange Point 1 providing 15-60 minute advanced warning of coronal mass ejections and continuous real-time solar wind monitoring.
• COSMIC-2 Atmospheric Sounding Constellation Constellation of six small satellites collecting atmospheric temperature, pressure, and humidity data via radio occultation for weather forecasting, space weather monitoring, and climate research.
• Jason-3 Ocean Altimetry Satellite Satellite altimetry mission measuring global sea surface height to support research on sea level rise, ocean circulation, hurricane intensity, and climate change.
• Argos-4 Data Collection System Worldwide data collection system using satellite receivers to track wildlife, monitor oceans, and gather environmental telemetry from transmitters around the globe.
• National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Public archive providing access to more than 37 petabytes of atmospheric, coastal, oceanic, and geophysical environmental data, with 111,164 collections and 14 million granules discoverable through the OneStop platform.
• Live Hurricane Tracker Interactive hurricane tracking tool combining real-time NOAA satellite imagery with National Hurricane Center data for storm monitoring and public safety use.
• Earth in Real-Time Satellite Map Interactive global mapping tool displaying live satellite imagery from operational weather and environmental satellites for viewing weather systems, storms, and cloud formations in real time.
• NOAA OneStop Data Discovery Platform Enhanced data discovery and access portal providing searchable access to 111,164 collections and 14 million granules archived at NCEI for environmental researchers, developers, and government users.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hurricane track and intensity forecasts improved
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASA serves as NOAA's acquisition agent and launch provider for satellite missions. NASA builds and launches satellites for NOAA, which operates them and distributes data. Collaboration includes GOES-R Series, JPSS, SWFO/SOLAR-1, and GeoXO programs.
• Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench Space Agency partnership for Argos data collection system and Jason-3 satellite mission. CNES co-developed the Argos system since 1978 and partners on ocean altimetry missions.
• European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEUMETSAT partners with NOAA on Jason-3 mission for satellite altimetry observations of global sea surface height and Argos system operations.
• Taiwan's National Space Organization (NSPO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSPO owns and operates COSMIC-2 satellites (FORMOSAT-7) as part of an international cooperation agreement for atmospheric data collection using radio occultation techniques.
• University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCAR partners on COSMIC-2 mission for weather forecasting, space weather monitoring, and climate research using radio occultation data.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESA collaboration on L5 Project, where ESA's Vigil mission will carry NOAA's Compact Coronagraph (CCOR) as part of NOAA's Space Weather Next program, providing measurements from Lagrange Point 5.
• U.S. Space ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpace Force hosts Argos-4 as a hosted payload on General Atomics' Orbital Test Bed satellite via the Hosted Payload Solutions contract. Also operates EWS-G2 and EWS-G3 satellites for NOAA.
• General AtomicscoreTechnology or IntegrationGeneral Atomics built the GAzelle satellite hosting Argos-4 instrument and Orbital Test Bed-3 for Argos-4 hosted payload mission.
• BAE SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationBAE Systems built the SOLAR-1 spacecraft and assembled the observatory at their facility in Boulder, CO for NOAA's space weather mission.
• L3Harris TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationL3Harris was selected by NASA on behalf of NOAA to develop the GeoXO Imager instrument for next-generation geostationary satellites.
• Ball AerospacecoreTechnology or IntegrationBall Aerospace was selected by NASA on behalf of NOAA to develop the GeoXO Sounder instrument for hyperspectral infrared sounding on next-generation geostationary satellites.
• Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)coreTechnology or IntegrationSwRI built the Solar Wind Plasma Sensor (SWiPS) and Magnetometer (MAG) instruments for SOLAR-1 at their facility in San Antonio, TX.
• University of California, BerkeleycoreTechnology or IntegrationUC Berkeley built the SupraThermal Ion Sensor (STIS) instrument for SOLAR-1 at their facility in Berkeley, CA.
• University of New HampshirecoreTechnology or IntegrationUniversity of New Hampshire built the Magnetometer (MAG) instrument for SOLAR-1 in partnership with SwRI.
• U.S. Naval Research LaboratorycoreTechnology or IntegrationNRL built the Compact Coronagraph (CCOR-2) for SOLAR-1 at their facility in Washington, DC. NRL is also the developer of the CCOR instrument series.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• China Meteorological Administration (CMA):
• Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA): JAXA operates the Himawari geostationary weather satellites and GOSAT greenhouse-gas observers — comparable geostationary weather satellite operator in the Asia-Pacific region with similar mission profile to GOES.
• NASA (Earth Science Division / Science Mission Directorate): NASA's Earth Science Division operates research-grade Earth observation satellites (Terra, Aqua, Aura) and serves as NOAA's primary acquisition and launch agent. Both agencies produce satellite imagery and environmental data, but NASA focuses on scientific research while NESDIS focuses on operational meteorology.
• European Space Agency (ESA): ESA develops and operates Copernicus Sentinel Earth observation satellites and partners with NOAA on the L5/Vigil mission hosting NOAA's CCOR coronagraph. Overlap is in Earth observation data products and space weather monitoring.

Direct peers

• EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites): EUMETSAT operates Meteosat geostationary and MetOp polar-orbiting weather satellites for Europe — the most direct international counterpart to NOAA. The two organizations co-operate Jason-3 ocean altimetry and coordinate global weather satellite coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@noaasant
• Facebookfacebook.com/NOAASatellites
• Xx.com/NOAASatellites
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nesdis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about NOAA Satellite and Information Service