NEON QuickSounder

NEON QuickSounder [SwRI]

NEON QuickSounder (Near Earth Orbit Network QuickSounder) is the first in a new generation of NOAA low-Earth orbit environmental satellites. Under the $54 million contract, SwRI will design and build the satellite and operate it for three years.

QuickSounder will kick off NOAA’s Near Earth Orbit Network (NEON) program. The Near Earth Orbit Network is a collaborative mission between NASA and NOAA. NASA will manage the development and launch of the satellites for NOAA, which will operate them and deliver data to users worldwide. NEON satellites will provide critical data to support weather forecasting, climate monitoring and environmental observation.

QuickSounder will carry NOAA’s Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) instrument, which provides information about the physical properties of Earth’s atmosphere — such as temperature and moisture — that heavily influence weather patterns. QuickSounder represents a leap forward in data latency for environmental satellites, delivering 95% of collected data within 30 minutes. Quicker data delivery will significantly improve NOAA’s weather forecasting ability.

Over the next two years, SwRI will design and build QuickSounder and integrate the ATMS instrument. Additionally, the Institute will perform environmental testing (thermal vacuum, vibration and acoustic) on the completed spacecraft to ensure that it will survive the launch and space environments. The satellite will be 80 cm wide and 114 cm long and weigh about 211 kg, including the xenon propellant used by its small electric propulsion thruster.