The announcement was made during the 23rd National Space Symposium being held April 9-12 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
The ground segment of the GOES-R program includes receiving and processing satellite data, generation and distribution of products from satellite data, and command and control of orbiting satellites. The ground segment is slated to run through 2029, including development, operations and sustainment phases.
Scheduled for launch in 2014, GOES-R will feature highly advanced sensor technology, and will provide much higher resolution and data frequency than the current GOES spacecraft family. It is the primary tool used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to detect and track hurricanes and other severe weather in the continental United States and western hemisphere. The current GOES system provides imagery, atmospheric measurements, and space environmental monitoring over the western hemisphere every 30 minutes with visual and infrared imagery at 1 and 4 kilometre resolutions. GOES-R will improve the rate of imagery coverage to every 5 minutes.
“The GOES-R series of satellites represents the future of the GOES program and will provide significant advances over the current system,” said Jeremy Wensinger, group president of Integrated Systems and Services, Harris Government Communications Systems Division. “Harris is highly qualified to prime the ground segment based on our proven expertise in data processing and command and control, and we look forward to providing the best-value solution that will support the next generation of geostationary weather satellites for NOAA.”
Harris is a recognised leader in satellite ground data processing and mission command-and-control systems. The company‘s ground data processing systems consist of complex suites of hardware and software that receive sensor data from satellites and process it into useable environmental parameters under stringent timelines – turning the data into useable information. The company‘s command-and-control systems feature commercial-off-the-shelf design and high levels of flexibility. Designed for government and commercial applications, they support single-satellite missions as well as the largest and most complex satellite fleets deployed today.
“Harris is also a leading manufacturer of communications payloads for military, intelligence and commercial satellites,” added Mr. Wensinger. “In addition to competing as a prime contractor for the ground segment, we look forward to working with the space segment primes to propose innovative and cost-effective antenna and electronic solutions for GOES-R satellites.”
About Harris Corporation
Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has annual revenue of about US$ 4 billion and more than 14,000 employees – including more than 6,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications products, systems, and services for global markets, including government communications, RF communications, broadcast communications, and wireless transmission network solutions.
(Source: Harris Corporation)