Goddard Engineering and Technology Directorate

QuickSounder

Conceptual drawing of QuickSounder, the first in a new generation of low-Earth orbit environmental satellites in NOAA’s Near Earth Orbit Network (NEON).
Conceptual drawing of QuickSounder, the first in a new generation of low-Earth orbit environmental satellites in NOAA’s Near Earth Orbit Network (NEON). Credit: Southwest Research Institute

Overview

The QuickSounder mission will support NOAA’s next generation satellite architecture for its future low Earth orbit program, which will provide mission-critical data for 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). A collaborative effort between NASA and NOAA, NEON will provide a new approach to developing a new global environmental satellite system by quickly building small to medium-sized satellites with Earth-observing instruments for weather forecasting, disaster management, and climate monitoring. QuickSounder has a launch readiness date of February 2026 (NASA informational source).

The first project in the NEON Program series is QuickSounder, which will serve as a prototype for NOAA’s next generation of environmental satellites. This pathfinder mission will demonstrate NOAA’s ability to launch a small satellite within three years. QuickSounder will fly a refurbished Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) instrument, the same as those flown on the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) series of satellites. While environmental satellites usually take 10 years or longer to develop and launch, QuickSounder is expected to launch in mid-2026, less than 27 months after NOAA and NASA awarded its contract for development.

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