NASA Awards NOAA GOES-R Instrument Contract

NASA, in coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES-R) Program, has awarded a contract to the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The total estimated value is $92 million, including options.

The laboratory will build the Extreme Ultra Violet and X-Ray Irradiance Sensors that will fly on the next series of GOES-R. These instruments will help forecast solar disturbances that can affect communications and navigational operations. This satellite series will upgrade existing weather and environmental monitoring capabilities. The first launch of the series is scheduled for December 2014.

The design and development of the instruments will be performed at the contractor's facility in Boulder, Colo. The contractor also will provide post-delivery support for GOES-R.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funds, operates and manages the GOES program. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., manages the acquisition of GOES-R instruments for NOAA.