Air Force Space Command awarded Harris and ITT Exelis separate contracts to help define the service’s next-generation weather-monitoring satellite. Harris will perform “cost-conscious space-to-ground trades” for the future satellite’s ground architecture under the Weather Satellite Follow-on Activities risk-reduction technology project, announced service space acquisition officials on Feb 25. The company’s detailed architectures analysis is meant to “generate integrated space and ground solutions” that will yield “the architecture responsive to various satellite constellations, including disaggregated solutions,” states the release. ITT Exelis’ work will focus on delivering an updated design for the Enhanced Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer sensor, according to a second release on Feb. 25. “ITT’s development effort aims to present the government with an affordable, high technology-readiness-level sensor adaptable to current and future ground systems capable of being flown on multiple platforms,” states the release. AFSPC said it anticipates awarding multiple contracts for WSFA risk reduction. (See also Weather Satellite Reboot.)
The Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile is behind schedule and may significantly overrun its expected cost, which could partially explain why the service is reviving the hypersonic AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid-Response Weapon.