Ball Aerospace Concludes Weather Monitoring Satellite Critical Design Review

Ball Aerospace has cleared a critical design review for a satellite mission built to deliver environmental actionable intelligence for military operations.

The Weather System Follow-on satellite will work to help the Department of Defense address space-based environmental monitoring gaps such as tropical cyclone intensity and ocean surface vector winds, the company said Monday.

The satellite will also assist DoD in validating snow depth, soil moisture and sea ice characterization.

The U.S. Space Force chose Ball as the prime contractor to manufacture and deliver WSF and its associated spacecraft, instrument, algorithms and system software.

“Measuring and understanding the physical environment is critical to military operations, from determining tropical cyclone intensity for asset protection and maneuver operations to how wind and sea state play into assured access and aircraft carrier operations,” said Mark Healy, vice president and general manager of national defense at Ball.