NASA has contracted United Launch Alliance (ULA) to launch two weather satellites in 2015 and 2017 on its Atlas 5 rockets, the agency confirmed April 6.

ULA’s Atlas rockets launched previous GOES satellites in the 1990s and early 2000s.

   NASA said the total cost of launch services for both its Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES)-R and GOES-S would be approximately $446 million.

The two satellites aim to provide the United States with timely and accurate weather forecasts and improve detection and observation of meteorological phenomena. The overall GOES program is managed by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which will operate the spacecraft in orbit.

   Lockheed Martin won a $1.1 billion contract to build GOES-R and GOES-S in 2008. The company is building both spacecraft under management by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.