NEWTON, N.C., 25 Aug. 2010.Satellite technology experts from Harris Corp. in Melbourne, Fla., needed 16- and 9-meter satellite communications antennas for upgrades to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-R weather satellite program. They found their solution from General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies in Newton, N.C.
Harris awarded an $80 million satellite electronics contract to General Dynamics SATCOM to build and install six 16-meter antennas and upgrade four 9-meter satellite communications antennas enable critical command, control, telemetry, and sensor data communications between GOES-R satellites and ground stations.
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) system supports weather forecasting, severe storm tracking, and meteorology research. GOES satellite and ground antenna systems provide environmental data to enable weather forecasters to track global weather patterns.
The 16-meter antennas will be installed at the NOAA Wallops Command and Data Acquisition Station at Wallops Island, Va., with a remote backup site in Fairmont, W.Va. The antennas that will be upgraded as part of this contract are located at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Md.
The antenna deliveries will be aligned with the first GOES-R satellite launch, scheduled for 2015. Nexcom Inc. in Melbourne, Fla., will provide General Dynamics SATCOM with high-power amplifiers. For more information contact General Dynamics SATCOM online at www.gdsatcom.com.
