WASHINGTON — NASA has awarded two sole source contracts on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the common ground system and a scientific instrument on the first Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1).

JPSS is the restructured civilian portion of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) that will make afternoon observations as it orbits Earth. The system includes the satellites and sensors supporting civil weather and climate measurements and a shared ground infrastructure with the Department of Defense weather satellite system. JPSS-1 is expected to be ready for launch in 2014.

The Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument contract has been awarded to Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems of El Segundo, Calif. This is a cost-reimbursement contract of approximately $314 million with a period of performance through September 2018. Under this contract, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems will design, manufacture, test and deliver two VIIRS instruments. VIIRS will gather data on a wide range of Earth’s properties, including the atmosphere, clouds, radiation budget, clear-air land and water surfaces, and sea surface temperature.

The Common Ground System contract has been awarded to the Raytheon Corporation of Aurora, Colo. This is a cost-reimbursement contract of approximately $1.4 billion with a period of performance through September 2018. Under this contract, Raytheon will design, manufacture, test and deliver hardware, software, and related services for the mission operations of the JPSS ground system.

NOAA is responsible for the JPSS program. NASA is the program’s procurement agent, and the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., is the lead for acquisition. Data and imagery obtained from JPSS will increase the timeliness, accuracy and cost-effectiveness of public warnings and forecasts of climate and weather events, reducing the potential loss of human life and property.

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov