NPOESS

The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) was to be the United States' next-generation satellite system that would monitor the Earth's weather, atmosphere, oceans, land, and near-space environment.

NPOESS satellites were to host proven technologies and operational versions of sensors that were under operational-prototyping by NASA, at that time.

Issues with sensor developments were the primary cited reason for delays and cost-overruns.

[3] Raytheon, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. and Boeing were developing the sensors.

The project had to go through three Nunn-McCurdy reviews, Congressional hearings that are automatically triggered when a program goes over budget by more than 25%.