ITT receives NOAA study awards for geosynchronous sounding and ocean color

PARIS.— ITT (NYSE:ITT) announced today that it has won two study contracts to address detailed costing of commercial options for operational weather systems. ITT is the premier supplier for operational weather sensors flown on U.S. and international spacecraft with continuous operations during the past 35 years in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO).

ITT’s Space Systems business proposed multiple options to provide geosynchronous sounding and imaging via alternative procurement methods including firm-fixed price and fee-for-service. The specific purpose of the solicited options was to provide vertical atmospheric profiles to aid in improved weather forecasts.

“This award reiterates the confidence that NOAA has in ITT’s expertise,” said Rob Mitrevski, vice president and director of Commercial and Space Sciences for ITT’s Space Systems business. “Our sensors on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) and other missions have proven themselves, and we hope to continue to provide these critical space weather observations and data.”

Both of these systems were originally planned for the next-generation GOES-R mission, as part of the Hyperspectral Environmental Suite (HES). HES was canceled in 2006 due to cost and risk concerns. ITT proposes options to restore these capabilities at significantly lower cost. By deploying these sensors at lower cost, the full benefit of these much-needed observations can be restored. These options may also be deployed internationally in the same way to meet global weather, fishery and climate needs.

ITT’s Space Systems Division (ssd.itt.com) provides innovative remote sensing and positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) solutions to customers in the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA National Weather Service, intelligence, space science and commercial aerospace to help them visualize and understand critical events happening on Earth, in the air, or in space in time to take effective action. Leveraging comprehensive capabilities, ITT’s solutions span from image and data collection through processing and dissemination. Key applications include high-resolution commercial imaging; space science; climate and environmental monitoring; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; positioning, navigation and timing (PNT); image and data processing and dissemination; and space control and missile defense.