The U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)has broken ground on a $61 million satellite operations center that will house $50 million in high-tech equipment. Once completed, NOAA will move from its World War II-era headquarters to this new facility in Suitland, Md. Construction of the facilities is expected to be completed in two years.

The Suitland center will house NOAA’s current and future environmental satellite operations. The center will contain a computer facility to process satellite data to support meteorology, oceanography, solid earth and solar-terrestrial sciences. It also will provide command, control and communications for three sets of satellites: geostationary operational environmental satellites; polar-orbiting operational environmental satellites; and the Department of Defense‘s defense meteorological satellite program.