General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has announced that the U.S. Space Force’s (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) has awarded GA-EMS a contract modification. This modification is aimed at mitigating Government on-orbit risks by providing a second weather satellite and three years of operations services for both satellites as part of the Electro-Optical Infrared (EO/IR) Weather System (EWS) program. The award will modify the current GA-EMS contract to incorporate the design and delivery of an operational EWS spacecraft with integrated EO/IR payloads. This supports the transition of the USSF’s aging Defense Meteorological Support Program (DMSP) on-orbit systems to a new generation of cost-effective, high-performance, small weather satellites.
“This contract is a testament to GA-EMS’ ability to design and deliver advanced EWS satellites that will provide timely, accurate weather data to support Department of Defense operations across all domains,” said Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. “We are currently working toward the delivery of the first EWS satellite and associated ground systems, with spacecraft build and EO/IR payload testing well underway. We are excited to begin the build and integration of a second EWS satellite to help support USSF efforts to extend EO/IR data collection capabilities as legacy DMSP satellites are retired.”
GA-EMS, the prime contractor, is responsible for the spacecraft bus and EO/IR payload design development, build, assembly, integration, and test (AIT). They have assembled a highly experienced team to deliver the EWS satellites. The team includes Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER) Inc. for weather product expertise, and Parsons Corporation to provide Enterprise Ground Station command and control and operations support.
“From our initial 2020 contract award to develop an EWS satellite design to today’s contract modification to deliver two EWS satellites and on-orbit operations services, our team continues to make excellent progress toward meeting EWS mission requirements,” said Gregg Burgess, vice president of GA-EMS Space Systems. “After decades of providing exemplary weather support to military operations and the nation, DMSP is sunsetting. It is imperative that modern, advanced EO/IR weather satellites enter service to ensure accurate, uninterrupted weather data affecting daily operations, mission planning, and intelligence gathering reaches military decision-makers in a timely manner. We look forward to delivering our exquisite solutions for on-orbit weather data collection, high-resolution weather imagery and environmental monitoring data products that will help keep our warfighters on the cutting edge of mission overmatch.”
