Two new geostationary satellites for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will be built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, NOAA and Nasa.

The $1.09bn satellites of the geostationary operational environmental satellite-R (GOES-R) series will provide better monitoring of sea-surface temperatures and more data to NOAA’s hurricane forecasters with sharper images of storms every 30 seconds, instead of the current rate of every 7.5 minutes.

They will also feature a new space-based detection system for lightning activity over land and water along with instruments for space weather forecast and solar storm warnings and supply data to advance heat stress warnings.

The new series, set to launch in 2015, is part of the GOES-R programme funded, managed and operated by NOAA.

Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Centre looks into the acquisition spacecraft and instruments for NOAA.