The government lacks contingency plans for satellites that provide weather and environmental data while hovering in geostationary orbit over North America, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Oct. 1. The report reveals a possible gap in satellite coverage from April to October 2015, due to a contract delay and the likelihood that the aging, current series of satellites--Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-14 and GOES-15--will fail.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA are responsible for procurement and management of the GOES satellites.

"Even though there may be a gap in backup coverage, NOAA has not established adequate continuity plans for its geostationary satellites," warns the report.

In the case of satellite failure, NOAA currently plans to move one craft to the middle of the country and rely on international partners to cover weather data for the remainder of the country; however, no formal plan for this strategy exists.

The report recommends that the NOAA administrator develop a continuity plan for the operation of geostationary satellites, complete with "implementation procedures, resources, staff roles, and timetables needed to transition to a single satellite, an international satellite, or other solution." The report also recommends that the plan includes data requirement definitions and documented input from other federal agencies that rely on GOES. What's more, GOES's key data users should be notified of GOES-R program status and changes.

The Department of Commerce, which houses NOAA, agreed with these recommendations and listed all three executive action items as "in progress."

For more:
- see the report, GAO-10-799 here

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