Rendering of a GOES-R Series satellite. Photo: Lockheed Martin

NASA has awarded SpaceX a $152.5 million contract to launch the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-U (GOES-U) mission. The total cost includes the launch service and other mission-related costs. The GOES-U mission is targeted to launch in April 2024 on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

GOES-U is the fourth and final spacecraft in the GOES-R Series of Geostationary weather satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The GOES-R Series is a joint effort between NASA and NOAA and includes GOES-R, GOES-S, GOES-T, and GOES-U.

Lockheed Martin is building the GOES-U satellite, based on the A2100 platform.

The most recents satellite in the series, GOES-S, or GOES-17, was launched in 2018 on a ULA Atlas V rocket. ULA is also set to launch the next satellite in the series, GOES-T, on an Atlas V rocket in January 2022.