WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Pressure has awarded Raytheon Applied sciences a $67 million contract to check a prototype climate system the corporate designed for the service, the American agency introduced Dec. 15.
The House Pressure initially chosen Raytheon Intelligence & House to design a prototype for the Electro-Optical Infrared Climate System, or EWS, in 2020. This system will change the Protection Meteorological Satellite tv for pc Program, or DMSP, which has offered cloud characterization and theater climate imagery observations information to the army because the Sixties. These satellites are nearing the tip of their service life, with officers expressing concern that they might not survive till 2024. Congress directed the Air Pressure to switch DMSP with a brand new system in 2015.
“Persevering with the DMSP EO/IR functionality is important to army planning for land, sea and air operations” Paul Meyer, vice chairman of house and command-and-control programs on the Raytheon intel and house unit, mentioned in an announcement. “Our satellite tv for pc will combine into the early morning orbit, guaranteeing a seamless transition of climate information with none further processing.”
Whereas the corporate didn’t disclose the worth of the unique award, this follow-up award, arrange via the opposite transaction authority course of, will see Raytheon try and exhibit that its prototype can ship operational information to House Programs Command. Raytheon says its system will enhance upon the legacy system by offering better element and determination.
“We’re dramatically bettering the scale, weight and energy of the EWS payload with the identical observations as high-performing programs,” Meyer mentioned. “Moreover, the crew is benefiting from expertise already on-orbit in addition to the satellite tv for pc bus capabilities offered by Blue Canyon Applied sciences to quickly ship the system to the House Pressure.”
The corporate accomplished preliminary design evaluations in January 2021 and is working towards a closing design assessment in addition to a downselect in January 2022. Raytheon says it might probably ship a system prepared for launch by 2025.
Nathan Strout covers house, unmanned and intelligence programs for C4ISRNET.