With the start of hurricane season fast approaching, recent reports show that cuts and staff vacancies at the National Weather Service and NOAA could impact public safety services. Earlier this month, CNN reported that a number of NWS weather forecast offices do not have a meteorologist-in-charge due to layoffs, early retirements, and vacancies. 

In this episode, On Orbit interviews Dan Harkins, COO of Tropical Weather Analytics, about how the upcoming hurricane seasons could be impacted by cuts and vacancies, and the critical role that government weather satellites play in keeping the public safe. 

 While the U.S. is talking about investing in a massive-scale Golden Dome for missile defense, Harkins argues the country should consider a similar investment into weather monitoring capabilities — given how extreme weather events lead to loss of life, and disruption for both people and businesses. Aside from cutbacks, Harkins talks about what is missing in government weather monitoring capabilities, and how commercial companies play a role.