NOAA Prioritizes Current Satellite Programs in 2018 Budget Request; In Adjustment to The 17 Percent Budget Cut

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had 17 percent cut in its annual budget for 2018. As a result, the agency will focus on its current satellite program in the NOAA 2018 budget request.

In his 2018 budget plan, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a 17 percent budget cut for the leading federal climate science agency, as reported by Washington Post. As a result, in NOAA 2018 budget request, the federal agency has decided to focus on the current satellite program.

The NOAA 2018 budget request was released last Tuesday, on May 23. With the budget cut in the 2018 fiscal year, the NOAA 2018 budget request will focus on the two major satellite programs. Those two satellite programs are the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) program and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) program.

The GOES programs as mentioned in the NOAA 2018 budget aimed to develop a new generation of geostationary weather satellites. NOAA 2018 budget request allocated the $518.5 million for GOES project, which will place the GOES-16 satellite into orbit in November this year. The other satellite in this program, GOES-S is scheduled to launch into orbit in spring 2018,

While for the JPSS program, it will have the $775.8 million in the NOAA 2018 budget request. This is a new program which will launch its first satellite, the JPSS-1 in September. The second one, JPSS-2 is currently under development to launch in 2021.

Both programs, the GOES and JPSS have a significant decrease in NOAA 2018 budget request from the previous year allocated budget. GOES program have a $230 million decline, while JPSS program has $11 million less than its last year's budget. Nevertheless, the JPSS $775.8 million budget is an increase of $30 million than previously projected.

NOAA 2018 budget request has adjusted its annual budget according to federal allocation. In his 2018 budget plan, President Trump also decreases the budget for NASA Earth Science program and the Environmental Protection Agency overall budget by 8.7 percent and 45 percent respectively and other significant cuts. Watch the report on three big cuts in President Trump budget for 2018 below: