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
www.harris.com.

Sound interesting? Find great jobs at Harris: www.careers.harris.com.