JPSS 1 satellite. Photo: NASA

[Via Satellite 11-21-2014] NASA has awarded Northrop Grumman a $121 million contract to build and deliver the third Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) for NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). ATMS provides critical atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles to support weather forecasting. The instrument has 22 channels spanning the frequency band from 23.8 GHz to 183.3 GHz.

Under the cost-plus-award-fee contract, Northrop Grumman will manufacture, test and deliver the ATMS instrument, support instrument integration on the JPSS 2 spacecraft, and provide launch and post-launch support. This ATMS instrument will be the third flight unit overall and is slated for launch on the second JPSS satellite in 2021.

The second ATMS is scheduled for delivery in the spring of 2015 to fly aboard the JPSS 1 satellite, which is scheduled to launch in 2017. NASA is responsible for developing and building the JPSS instruments and spacecraft, and NOAA is responsible for operating the JPSS satellites and providing data to users around the globe.

The first ATMS was completed in 2005 and is now operating on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite that was launched in October 2011.