The Trump administration has reduced the budget and scope of the United States' next-generation weather satellite program, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. The changes to the Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) program include a reduction in the number of planned satellites and the removal of scientific instruments. Experts cited in the report stated these reductions could delay advances in U.S. weather forecasting by nearly a decade.
The GeoXO program is being developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA to replace the current GOES-R series. Last year, the administration directed the agencies to reduce the planned constellation from six satellites to four. The budget for the program's lifecycle was subsequently lowered from $19.6 billion to $13 billion. The GAO warned that these cuts introduce the risk of a coverage gap lasting several months between the end of the current satellites' service life and the 2032 launch of the first GeoXO satellite.
In addition to reducing the number of spacecraft, the administration eliminated three of the five planned scientific instruments for the new satellites. Among the removed tools is the Geostationary Lightning Mapper, which is currently used to help predict tornadoes and monitor the intensification of hurricanes. Other nixed instruments were designed to monitor air quality, wildfire smoke, water quality, and ocean currents. The administration stated these changes were partly intended to focus the satellites on weather forecasting rather than climate research.
The changes affect weather data from geostationary satellites that informs daily forecasts, emergency alerts, and aviation safety. The GAO report notes that the savings may result in a loss of functionality, stating it is "unclear" if the GeoXO series will improve upon or even maintain the capabilities of current satellites that have been in use since 2017.
NOAA originally planned to operate three satellites simultaneously over the East, West, and Central U.S., but the new plan limits operations to an East and West satellite with one spare. Forecasters and emergency responders will lose access to specific real-time data, such as lightning maps for tornado warnings and hourly smoke tracking for wildfires, which could affect the lead time provided for evacuations or health advisories starting when the new constellation becomes primary in the 2030s.
Steve Volz, former head of NOAA's satellite division, stated the cuts could result in U.S. forecast accuracy trailing that of Europe, Japan, and China. In a letter sent Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Rep. Gabe Amo (D-R.I.) requested that NOAA provide cost-benefit analyses regarding the loss of these instruments. The first GeoXO satellite is currently scheduled for launch in 2032. NOAA has not yet publicly responded to requests for comment on the GAO findings.