According to the Government Accountability Office, NOAA did not adjust the launch date of the GOES-R program after delaying a program-wide critical design review.
That review was scheduled for this August.
It is possible that the GOES-R will not meet the targeted October 2015 launch date and the agency could end up relying on $1.2 billion in reserve funds, according to the report.
NOAA has a sound risk management process but it is not fully implemented, auditors found.
NOAA, which said it agreed with some recommendations, said they are 48 percent confident that launch will occur on time.