Earth orbit
QuickSounder
NOAA and NASA's QuickSounder SmallSat is the first Near Earth Orbit Network mission, testing faster delivery of microwave weather observations.
Earth orbitNASA and NOAA continue to identify QuickSounder as the first NEON weather mission. The checked official pages give 2026 planning and readiness information but do not publish a current launch date.
Official mission site ↗The mission
QuickSounder is the first mission in NOAA's Near Earth Orbit Network, a collaborative NOAA and NASA programme for more rapidly developed low-Earth-orbit environmental satellites. The SmallSat will fly a refurbished Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder to provide atmospheric temperature and moisture observations that support weather forecasting, disaster management, and climate monitoring.
The launch
- Launch
- To be determined
- Launch location
- SLC-2W, Vandenberg SFB
- Launch vehicle
- Alpha
- Orbit
- Low Earth orbit
Launch intelligence
A Firefly Alpha rocket will launch the QuickSounder mission. The launch date is currently targeted for 2026 (UTC).
- Launch provider
- Firefly
- Vehicle
- Alpha
- COSPAR launch ID
- Not assigned
- Flight profile
- Orbital
- Launch result
- Not set
- Window opens
- Not published
- Target T-0
- Not published
- Window closes
- Not published
- Provider display
- 2026
- Pad and location
- SLC-2W, Vandenberg SFB
Mission timeline
Instrument integration
October 2025 · Earth orbit
NOAA reported that the Southwest Research Institute completed integration of the ATMS instrument onto the QuickSounder spacecraft in October 2025.
Open milestone source ↗Objectives
- 01
Demonstrate faster development and launch of operational environmental satellites.
- 02
Measure atmospheric temperature and moisture with a refurbished Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder.
- 03
Support weather forecasting, disaster management, and climate monitoring through NOAA's NEON programme.
Spacecraft
QuickSounder
NOAA's first NEON SmallSat, carrying a refurbished ATMS instrument for microwave atmospheric sounding.
- Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS)
Gallery
0 images from QuickSounder.
No mission imagery is available yet.
Community discussion
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