The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded program definition and risk reduction contracts worth $10 million for work on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, known as GOES-R, to Lockheed Martin and to the team of Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. The initial contracts run for six months, but they could be extended for up to 16 months for another $20 million. GOES-R is the next-generation environmental satellite system, which is intended to monitor data for daily and long range weather forecasting and climate studies across the globe.
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. assumed leadership of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, succeeding Navy Adm. John Aquilino at a change of command ceremony, urging action amid China's “increasing intrusive and expansionist claims,” on May 3