Heather Roman-Stork, an ocean scientist working with NOAA NESDIS’ Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR), has been selected as the 2026 winner of NOAA’s David S. Johnson Award.

On January 23, 2026, NOAA’s Space Weather Follow On – Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) observatory executed its final engine burn, successfully entering its final orbital position at Lagrange point 1.

NOAA’s satellites allow us to see how Earth’s tilt drives changes in sunlight and seasons.

The Solar Wind Plasma Sensor (SWiPS) onboard the Space Weather Follow On – Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) observatory is now sending back data.

The Magnetometer (MAG) onboard the Space Weather Follow On – Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) observatory is performing well and has begun sending magnetic-field data back to Earth.

The Suprathermal Ion Sensor (STIS) onboard NOAA's Space Weather Follow On – Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) observatory, began sending particle measurements back to Earth on September 30, 2025.

On September 18, 2025, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) signed an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement with Raytheon for the Critical Design Review (CDR) study of a weather imagery prototype mission that will mature weather imagery capabilities under the Near Earth Orbit Network (NEON) Stratus project.

NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) has published a study of emerging Artificial Intelligence-driven Earth Observation Digital Twin (EODT) technology authored by Lockheed Martin and NVIDIA under a Joint Ventures Partnership (JVP) Broad Agency Announcement contract awarded in September 2022.