- NOAA has established a 10-year contract to expand its use of commercial satellite data
- The agency will work with 14 industry partners across seven data categories
- N-Wave Acting Director Adam Nemethy will join a panel at the 2026 FedCiv Summit on Oct. 29
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has selected 14 companies to supply commercial satellite data under its new Space-Based Environmental Monitoring, or SBEM, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract aimed at enhancing weather and space weather forecasting capabilities.
Adam Nemethy, acting director of N-Wave at NOAA, will join a panel discussion on observability as the foundation for federal shared services at Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 FedCiv Summit on Oct. 29, where government and industry leaders will explore the future of federal civilian technology. Register now to hear from the officials shaping these priorities.
What Is the Scope of SBEM IDIQ?
NOAA said Thursday the SBEM IDIQ contract runs from Sept. 1, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2036, spanning a five-year base term and a five-year option period. The contract was established by the agency’s National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, or NESDIS, through its Commercial Data Program, under the agency’s Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, or ProTech 2.0, program, an $8 billion vehicle established in 2021 that supports procurement across NOAA’s weather, ocean, fisheries and satellite services.
NOAA will initially draw on data from 14 industry partners spanning seven categories of environmental observations. The agency retains the ability to add new data categories or vendors as its requirements change.
The resulting data streams are intended to feed directly into NOAA’s operational prediction models, space weather applications, weather forecasting tools and broader research efforts carried out with interagency, academic and international partners.
In April, NOAA sought offers for the SBEM domain under the ProTech 2.0 program.
“NOAA is maximizing the impact and value of high-quality environmental data provided by our commercial partners that will benefit the American weather enterprise,” said Taylor Jordan, assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observation and prediction at NOAA. “NOAA will support data streams and projects that harness cutting-edge instruments and science that advances our mission to protect lives, safeguard property, and strengthen the nation’s economy and national security.”
Which Companies Are Providing Data Under the Contract?
NOAA will initially work with 14 industry partners under the contract:
- BAE Systems
- Care Weather Technologies
- Ethereal Space
- Hydrosat
- ICEYE US
- Muon Space
- PlanetiQ
- Precursor SPC
- SpaceX
- Spire Global Subsidiary
- Tomorrow.io
- Tropical Weather Analytics
- Umbra Lab
- Weather Stream
For global navigation satellite system-radio occultation, used for atmosphere profiling and ionospheric space weather monitoring, NOAA will draw on data from Ethereal Space, PlanetiQ, Precursor SPC, Spire Global Subsidiary and Tomorrow.io.
Under global navigation satellite system-reflectometry, which supports land and ocean surface observations, the agency will work with Muon Space, Spire Global Subsidiary and Tomorrow.io.
For microwave sounder data covering atmospheric temperature and moisture measurements, NOAA will rely on BAE Systems, Weather Stream, Spire Global Subsidiary and Tomorrow.io.
Under multispectral imagery, which supports weather and wildland fire applications, the agency will work with Ethereal Space, Hydrosat, Muon Space, Tomorrow.io and Tropical Weather Analytics.
For thermospheric neutral density data used in satellite orbit predictions, NOAA will draw on Ethereal Space, PlanetiQ, SpaceX and Spire Global Subsidiary.
Under active sensors for scatterometry, altimetry, synthetic aperture radar and K/Ka/Ku-band radar measurements, the agency will work with Care Weather Technologies, ICEYE US, Tomorrow.io and Umbra Lab.
No vendors have been selected under the infrared sounders category, which covers atmospheric vertical temperature and moisture profiles.
What Is the Commercial Data Program?
The Commercial Data Program is a NOAA initiative, managed by NESDIS, that evaluates and purchases space-based weather data from private industry to support NOAA’s forecasting mission and identify more efficient ways to meet its data needs. The program runs through pilot efforts that test commercial data’s impact on NOAA’s forecast models and operational purchases that feed directly into weather forecasting, under authority granted by the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 and the Promoting Research and Observations of Space Weather to Improve the Forecasting of Tomorrow Act of 2020.
What Other ProTech 2.0 Domain Contracts Has NOAA Awarded?
NOAA has issued several prior awards under the ProTech 2.0 program. Under the weather domain, the agency picked 20 small businesses to vie for task orders covering modeling, data assimilation and forecasting work.
The agency has also brought on industry partners in three other domains. NOAA named 18 vendors to the oceans contract for data collection, research, engineering and coastal monitoring support; placed 21 companies on the fisheries domain contract covering studies, surveys, field sampling and applied research; and added 15 vendors to the satellite domain contract for space-based observation and related support services.
