HRS Harris Corp.

NOAA Awards Harris Corporation Advanced Architecture Study for the GOES-R Environmental Satellite Ground Segment Program MELBOURNE, Fla., Nov. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Harris Corporation , a leader in satellite data ground processing and command, control and communications systems, today announced that it has been awarded a one- year study contract by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for ground segment work supporting the advanced Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R) program. Scheduled to launch in 2012, GOES-R will feature highly advanced sensor technology and will provide much higher resolution and data frequency than the current GOES spacecraft family. Under the GOES-R contract, Harris will study the application of its advanced ground data processing and command and control technologies to the overall satellite ground system architecture, and provide end-to-end system integration solutions. The study phase contains a six-month option at the end of the base year contract. At the completion of the study phase in May 2005, NOAA will select the winning companies to compete for the prototype phase of the program. The prototype phase will end with a "fly-off" competition in 2006, with NOAA selecting a single company for development and production of the GOES-R ground segment. "We are extremely pleased to have this opportunity to work with NOAA to help define a system architecture that will best support the next generation of geostationary weather satellites," said Bob Henry, corporate senior VP and president, Harris Government Communications Systems Division (GCSD). "GOES-R represents a quantum leap in the timeliness, quantity and accuracy of remotely sensed meteorological data. We look forward to participating in this and future phases of the program." GOES-R will carry several operational instruments including the 16-channel Advanced Baseline Imager, which will provide visual and infrared imagery of the Western Hemisphere every five minutes; a Hyperspectral Environmental Suite, which will provide full disk atmospheric soundings to assist in severe weather forecasting; an extended Solar X-Ray Imager; and a Space Environment Monitoring Suite, which will monitor the effects of solar activity on the Earth's atmosphere. This suite of instruments will produce over 100 times the information provided by the current system and will offer a wide variety of unique observations of the environment, with particular emphasis on severe weather and hurricane activity in the Western Hemisphere. The study contract was awarded through NOAA's National Environmental, Satellite, Data and Information Services (NESDIS) office, which manages the nation's operational environmental satellites, provides data and information services, and conducts related research. NESDIS is purchasing the ground command, control and data processing systems. NASA is purchasing the actual satellite and sensors. Harris 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 (COTS) 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 GCSD, one of five divisions within Harris Corporation, conducts advanced research studies, develops prototypes, and produces and supports state-of-the-art, assured communications and information systems that solve the mission-critical communications challenges of its military and government customers, while serving as the technology base for the company's diverse commercial businesses. Harris Corporation, which also provides tactical radio, microwave, broadcast, and network products and systems, serves customers in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit http://www.harris.com/. Sound interesting? Find great jobs at Harris: http://www.careers.harris.com/. DATASOURCE: Harris Corporation CONTACT: Sleighton Meyer of Government Communications Systems Division, +1-321-727-6514, or ; or Tom Hausman of Corporate Headquaretrs, +1-321-727-9131, or , both of Harris Corporation Web site: http://www.harris.com/ http://www.careers.harris.com/

Copyright