EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- From coordinating air support in the Indo-Pacific theater to navigating naval routes in the Atlantic, one constant underpins every military operation: weather. The ability to provide accurate and timely environmental monitoring is a national security imperative. Losing access to this data, even for a short time, can result in significant resource losses, weakened strategic advantage, and mission failure.
At Space Systems Command (SSC), we are integrating purpose-built government systems with products and services provided by commercial industry to create a hybrid model. This does not limit options by choosing one path over the other: it leverages the strengths of both to ensure our warfighters always have the critical information advantage afforded by accurate and timely weather data.
On the military satellite front, we are making significant strides. The first Weather System Follow-On-Microwave (WSF-M) satellite, which launched in 2024, is now operationally accepted and is augmenting the capabilities of our legacy Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, with a second WSF-M satellite launch planned for the end of 2026. Meanwhile, we are also developing the next generation of weather imaging capability, the Electro-Optical Infrared Weather System, with the first prototype satellite launch planned in 2027. These programs provide the foundation of our nation’s space-based weather sensing capabilities.
But to build a truly resilient and responsive architecture, we need our innovative commercial partners.
Last year’s $44.6 million contract award to Muon Space, Inc., is a perfect example. Under this agreement, we will leverage the company’s existing commercial wildfire detection mission by adapting its payload design to produce and launch three prototype satellites for environmental monitoring. Our work with Muon Space will mature and integrate their multispectral infrared imaging payload, adapting it to meet unique military needs for cloud characterization and theater weather imagery. This collaboration marks a breakthrough in a field that the government has historically controlled.
This government and commercial partnership hybrid approach delivers multiple advantages for the warfighter and the nation.
First, this hybrid approach enhances our resiliency. By cultivating multiple data sources from a collection of military, civil, and commercial providers, we disaggregate our assets and eliminate single points of failure to sustain the mission.
Second, it allows us to take full advantage of the new technologies and innovations emerging from the private sector, enhancing our ability to deliver cutting-edge capabilities to the warfighter faster and more cost-efficiently.
Finally, by integrating diverse data sources, we create a richer, more accurate picture of the global weather environment. This increases forecasting accuracy, improves situational awareness, and strengthens operational decision-making, which is critical to mission success.
Our strategy is clear: foster a robust and competitive ecosystem blending the best of government and commercial capabilities. A government and commercial partnership hybrid architecture is the most effective path to ensure our joint forces always have decisive and critical environmental monitoring information to win any engagement.
Visit USSF Front Door to learn more about collaborating with the U.S. Space Force on space-based environmental monitoring and other space-based systems.