Raytheon has won a $152.8 million contract to provide the imaging sensor instruments for a polar-orbiting satellite system that will provide accurate weather forecasts for civilian science and national defense requirements.
The system, called the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), will replace the Department of Commerce's Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites.
"Raytheon offered the best value and lowest risk to the U.S. government for the development of a Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument to be carried by the new system's satellites," said John D. Cunningham, system program director at the NPOESS Integrated Program Office. "Raytheon was rated exceptional in system optimization, sensor system design, and systems engineering, integration and test."
Under this contract, Raytheon will perform the detailed design, development and testing of the VIIRS instrument. The company will deliver three flight units, plus provide options for five additional units.
The VIIRS will provide data for production of Environmental Data Records (EDRs), including imagery, sea surface temperature, low light imaging and ocean color.
EDRs will be produced on the ground from the data provided by the VIIRS using algorithms also developed by Raytheon. Design of the instrument is based on risk reduction studies performed by the company under a $36.8 million contract awarded in July, 1997.
"Winning this very significant contract reinforces the company's position as a major supplier of space-based technologies for both civil and defense missions," said William H. Swanson, president of Raytheon's Electronic Systems business.
"Our engineers, technicians and managers have successfully leveraged Raytheon's extensive experience in producing highly accurate and reliable remote sensing instruments to provide the customer with a VIIRS design that will provide information for a wide variety of data collection requirements, including meteorological, oceanographic, climatic and space environmental information."
Raytheon's Santa Barbara Remote Sensing (SBRS) operation in Goleta, Calif., where work on the VIIRS will be performed, is the world's leading manufacturer of precision, high reliability, remote sensing instruments for use in atmospheric, planetary, and land research science.
With a combined operating life exceeding 324 instrument-years in space, and an actual instrument lives three times greater than design requirements, the company's instruments are the most reliable space-qualified sensors worldwide.
The NPOESS Integrated Program Office (IPO), which provides for the planning, development, management, acquisition and operation of the new system, awarded the contract.
The IPO is a tri-agency office reporting through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to an executive committee composed of under secretary/administrator level officials of the Departments of Commerce, Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The U.S. Air Force will perform administration of the contract for the IPO.
