Changes to the GeoXO program by the Trump administration
Okay all, so I have been doing some research on the GeoXO series of satellites intended to replace GOES. There has been far too little reporting on this matter, and what reporting there has been has missed a lot of the important details from what I can tell.
So it seems that the original plan for GeoXO was that there would be three satellites — GEO-West, GEO-Central, and GEO-East. GEO-West and GEO-East would carry new, advanced imagers which would significantly increase the resolution of data available. This would be very useful for tracking small-scale features as well as for more northerly locations where the resolution becomes a more serious issue. They would also carry new lightning mappers which will be more precise, detect new strikes, and extend the northward extent of lightning data (which is current capped at ~55N). There was also to be an ocean color sensor and an atmospheric composition instrument. GEO-Central would carry a high-resolution hyperspectral infrasounder, which was considered a critical part of the new system.
During the Trump administration, apparently they initially tried to get rid of the infrasounder entirely and did successfully eliminate GEO-Central. They also tossed out the ocean color sensor and the atmospheric composition instruments because of their connection to climate/climate change. On top of that, they would have had GEO-1 (the first GEO-West satellite) carry yet another Advanced Baseline Imager like those used on the GOES-R series (the current series of geostationary satellites), basically reducing the satellite to GOES-20 and locking in 20-year-old technology until the late 2030s for anywhere too far west for effective coverage from GEO-East. They would also move the infrasounder from having its own dedicated satellite and onto GEO-East. In doing all of this, multiple contracts were canceled on a whim. As far as I know, there is minimal support for many of these actions among anyone involved in meteorology.
In recent congressional discussions, they did not explicitly restore some of the cut features of the program, such as the cut climate-related instruments nor the dedicated Geo-Central satellite, but the House Appropriations Committee rejected many of these changes and stated that the new imager and sounder should be located on both satellites in addition to approving more funding: > The Committee reminds NOAA of the direction included in the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying Public Law 119–74 regarding GeoXO. The recommendation provides $677,000,000 and reaffirms support for incorporating GeoXO Imager and GeoXO Sounder instruments on both East and West geostationary satellites, while maintaining first launch in 2032. The Committee further directs NOAA, no later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act, to provide a briefing on its GeoXO acquisition and instrument deployment plans, including the revised mission architecture along with cost and schedule baseline; planned use of fiscal year 2027 funds and major milestones; the instrument sequencing plan supporting first launch in 2032; the readiness status of the GeoXO Imager and GeoXO Sounder and contingency plans to ensure advanced imaging and sounding on first launch; and the projected outyear funding required to execute the approved architecture without further delay.
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation also unanimously approved the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026 sponsored by Ted Cruz and cosponsored by nine others, which would further support these goals. I am skeptical this passes on its own, but if attached to the end of year budget bill/omnibus which I think is more likely, it could pass. I don't think there is a shadow of a chance that Donald Trump has any idea what GeoXO is, meaning he isn't likely to be an obstacle (for that reason, anyway), so it could pass there assuming the government doesn't immediately shut down again (which I suspect is a more likely possibility).
On another note, I also don't like that most mainstream news sources reported on the climate sensors but completely missed the very dramatic impact this would have on our ability to monitor the weather. We already know the Trump administration and many of its supporters do not consider the climate/climate change a priority, so why are we not reporting on the many other things that are also being done to impair our scientific edge which might turn more heads? That's not to say the climate sensors shouldn't have been reported on, but missing some huge changes is not great.
Summary: GeoXO will replace GOES in the 2030s. GeoXO was to have three satellites, with GEO-Central to carry an infrasounder while GEO-West and GEO-East would carry greatly improved imagers among other things. Trump admin decided to cancel contracts and cut a couple climate-related sensors and GEO-Central completely, force the infrasounder to be on GEO-East, and make GEO-West use the by-then nearly 20-year-old imager currently used by GOES. Congress does not approve of these actions and the House Appropriations Committee affirmed that GEO-West and East should both carry the GeoXO imager and infrasounder. The Senate Commerce Committee also unanimously passed an authorization bill through committee signaling opposition. Remains to be seen what if any new changes occur til budget time.