Lockheed Martin Triumphs with GeoXO Lightning Mapper Deal to Revolutionize Weather Prediction

NASA has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to design and produce the innovative GeoXO Lightning Mapper (LMX) instruments for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The foundational contract is valued at approximately $297 million for two devices, with options for two additional instruments.

Key Attributes

LMX is a singular-channel, near-infrared optical device crafted specifically to detect, pinpoint, and assess the intensity, duration, and scale of lightning strikes in near-real-time.

The LMX device secures and evaluates lightning events while aboard NOAA’s forthcoming GeoXO weather satellites. This lightning data will provide ongoing severe weather insights for the Western Hemisphere, enhancing storms analysis and forecasting, while aiding in the identification of tornado-generating systems. The imagers will elevate hurricane intensity evaluations, lightning risk detection, wildfire ignition monitoring, and aviation safety measures.

LMX builds upon the successes of the inaugural operational lightning mapper launched in geostationary orbit—the Lockheed Martin-produced Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). Specifically, LMX will enhance the functionalities of GLM with improved spatial resolution and accelerated imagery of lightning occurrences, along with an expanded observation area of the Western Hemisphere, now including Alaska. Lockheed Martin will design and manufacture the LMX instruments at its facility located in Sunnyvale, California.

“Lockheed Martin has capitalized on the successes of the Geostationary Lightning Mapper and integrated revolutionary technologies into the GeoXO Lightning Mapper, featuring an upgraded imaging sensor capable of detecting 25% more lightning pulses,” remarked Matthew Mahlman, director of Weather, Earth Science, and Climate Intelligence at Lockheed Martin. “This state-of-the-art technology will equip meteorologists with a tool to extend lead time in alerting the public about severe storms and dangerous weather events such as rapidly intensifying hurricanes.”

Advancing the Legacy

The GeoXO weather satellite constellation signifies NOAA’s next wave of satellites, succeeding the successful Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) series—the latest of which, GOES-U, launched on June 25, 2024. That satellite is now situated in geostationary orbit, currently undergoing on-orbit testing and validation, and has been renamed GOES-19.

In June, NASA granted Lockheed Martin a contract to develop and construct the GeoXO spacecraft for NOAA. The core contract encompasses three spacecraft, with options for four additional units. The total anticipated worth of the contract, including options, is $2.27 billion, with the first launch projected for the early 2030s.

For over 50 years, Lockheed Martin has designed and manufactured more than 120 weather and environmental satellites, along with various Earth observation instruments for civilian, military, and commercial applications. These cutting-edge devices include the Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUVI)—operating on the GOES-R series satellites—alongside the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) and the primary infrared imager of the James Webb Space Telescope, NIRCam.