[Satellite TODAY 09-27-10] NASA and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have awarded a sole source contract to Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. to design, build and test the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1), NASA announced Sept. 24.
    The $248 million fixed-price contract has a performance period that extends through February 2015. NOAA will be responsible managing the JPSS program with NASA acting as the program’s procurement agent.
    Ball will be responsible for integrating government-furnished instruments on the JPSS-1 satellite and its launch vehicle, while supporting launch operations and on-orbit checkout. The spacecraft, which constitutes the restructured civilian portion of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), is expected to launch in 2014.
   The JPSS Earth observation system includes the satellites and sensors supporting civil weather and climate measurements and a shared ground infrastructure with the U.S. Department of Defense weather satellite system. Data and imagery obtained from JPSS aims to increase the timeliness, accuracy and cost-effectiveness of public warnings and forecasts of climate and weather events, reducing the potential loss of human life and property.