TRW
was awarded a $2.9 billion contract to build the National Polar-orbiting
Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), the nation’s
next-generation meteorological satellite system. The contract was awarded by
the NPOESS Integrated Program Office (IPO), a joint effort of the Department
of Commerce, Department of Defense and NASA. It follows a rigorous,
three-year competitive preliminary design and risk reduction effort. TRW
estimates that NPOESS could be worth in excess of $4 billion over the life of
the program.
TRW, as prime contractor, will be responsible for overall system design
and development, system engineering, system integration, acquisition of
instruments and assembly and test of the spacecraft. Its teammate, Raytheon
Corporation , will provide command, control and communications,
mission data processing and system engineering support.
“We are proud to be joining a partnership with the government to build and
deliver a system that will significantly improve our nation’s climate and
weather forecasting ability,” said Tim Hannemann, president and chief
executive officer, TRW Space & Electronics. “By providing comprehensive
global environmental information, NPOESS is a critical system that will touch
the lives of everyone on the planet. Our team is committed to deliver an
outstanding system, on cost, on schedule and with low risk.”
“We’re delighted to have the opportunity to work with TRW on this
important mission,” said Daniel P. Burnham, Raytheon’s chairman and chief
executive officer. “It underscores our breadth and depth in satellite remote
sensing, weather and environmental data collection technologies for our
commercial and military customers.”
NPOESS merges the nation’s current weather polar-orbiting satellite
programs into a single, national program, providing increased capability at a
reduced overall cost to the nation. The system will provide environmental
remote-sensing capability for civil, military and scientific purposes,
including timely and accurate data for long-range weather and climate
forecasts.
TRW provides advanced-technology products and services for the aerospace,
systems and automotive markets. Company news releases can be found at
www.trw.com .
With headquarters in Lexington, Mass., Raytheon Company is a
global technology leader in defense, government and commercial electronics,
and business and special mission aircraft.
