Carol Collins
Ball Aerospace has received a potential $8 million contract from NASA to study the geostationary Sounder instrument in support of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geostationary and Extended Observations program.
The space agency said Thursday that under the firm-fixed-price contract, the company will conduct the definition-phase A study of the hyperspectral infrared instrument intended to fly on a series of geostationary satellites.
The GeoXo mission is a collaborative effort between NOAA and NASA, and is aimed at improving Earth observations from geostationary orbit and providing necessary data needed to address future environmental challenges.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is in charge of managing the acquisition of the Phase A Formulation contracts while NOAA is responsible for the mission’s funding and operations.
Ball Aerospace will work on the Sounder Phase A study in the company’s location in Boulder, Colorado, for 20 months.
