In January 1998, The Boeing Company, was awarded a contract from NASA for the design, manufacture, integration and launch of three Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, GOES N, GOES O and GOES P. The new satellites will provide more accurate location of severe storms and other weather phenomena, resulting in more precise warnings to the public. The three-axis modified Boeing 601 body-stabilized spacecraft design enables the primary sensors to stare at Earth and thus frequently image clouds, monitor Earth's surface temperature, and sound Earth's atmosphere for its vertical temperature and water vapor distribution. Atmospheric phenomena can be tracked, ensuring real-time coverage of short-lived dynamic events, such as severe local storms and tropical hurricanes and cyclones.