Weather Satellites: Planning for the Geostationary Satellite Program Needs More Attention
AIMD-97-37
Published: Mar 13, 1997. Publicly Released: Mar 13, 1997.
Skip to Highlights
Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) management of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Program, focusing on: (1) NOAA's strategy for procuring satellites in the GOES continuation series; (2) what steps NOAA should be taking now to prepare for the next generation series of satellites; and (3) whether the potential exists for improving the system and reducing costs in the long term.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | The Administrator, NOAA, should ensure that the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) clarifies official criteria for activating replacement spacecraft in the event of a failure of an operational GOES satellite or any of its instruments or subsystems. |
Closed – Implemented
NOAA has recently documented its official criteria. According to the NOAA GOES program manager, activation of a replacement spacecraft will occur when either one of the two operational spacecraft suffers a failure. A failure is defined as occurring when a spacecraft is no longer controllable, or if either of its two primary sensors fails.
|
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | The Administrator, NOAA, should ensure that NESDIS reexamines the agency's strategy for anticipating possible launch failures and considers scheduling backups for all future launches. |
Closed – Implemented
NOAA has established a new launch backup strategy, which is to maintain on orbit two operational satellites as well as an on-orbit spare. Within 1 year of the launch of a new satellite to replace one of these three, an additional spacecraft will be made ready on the ground for launch when needed.
|
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | The Administrator, NOAA, should reconsider the agency's decision to defer the follow-on program until after FY 2002. |
Closed – Implemented
NOAA has addressed this recommendation by expanding studies that it had previously initiated to examine architectures and advanced technologies for the GOES follow-on program. Also, a requirements definition process has been developed, and budget initiatives to accelerate the follow-on program to fiscal year 2000 are being proposed.
|
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | The Administrator, NOAA, should prepare a formal analysis, for consideration by the Congress, of the costs and benefits of several alternatives for the timing, funding, and scope of the follow-on program, including the possibility of starting the program in FY 1998 and the potential need to fund some types of technology development apart from the operational satellite program. |
Closed – Implemented
According to NOAA, the complexity and need for a thorough requirements study prevent starting a follow-on program in FY 1998. The agency is not planning to conduct the analysis GAO recommends until FY 2000. In the meantime, NOAA and NASA are making limited investments in technology studies to position themselves for the start of the follow-on program. NOAA does not plan to prepare a special cost and benefits analysis for congressional use.
|
Full Report
Office of Public Affairs
Topics
Aerospace engineeringCost controlEarth sciences data systemsFederal procurementGeosynchronous satellitesInteragency relationsProcurement planningResearch and development contractsWeather forecastingSatellites