NASA Taps SpaceX for JPSS-4 Satellite Launch

NASA has awarded SpaceX a contract worth approximately $112.7 million for the launch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s JPSS-4 satellite.

The satellite is a critical component component of the Joint Polar Satellite System, a collaborative effort between NASA and NOAA to monitor Earth’s environment, NASA said.

The JPSS-4 mission is part of a planned constellation of JPSS satellites aimed at collecting global meteorological, oceanographic and solar-geophysical data. The data will help NASA to observe and predict changes in weather, climate, oceans and coasts.

Aboard the JPSS-4 is Libera, a NASA Earth Venture instrument that will study the Earth’s energy imbalance and climate change.

Apart from launch services, the firm-fixed-price contract will also cover other mission-related costs. NASA’s Kennedy Space Center will oversee launch operations, while the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center will manage the acquisition for the JPSS program.

The JPSS-4 mission is scheduled to launch in 2027 on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenburg Space Force base in California.