General Dynamics Awarded $80 Million to Upgrade and Deliver New Antennas for NOAA's GOES-R Satellite Program

Aug. 25

General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies received an $80 million contract from Harris Corporation to design, manufacture and install six new 16-meter antennas and upgrade four 9-meter satellite communications antennas.  

Supporting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) new GOES-R program, the antennas will enable critical command, control, telemetry and sensor data communications between satellites and ground stations.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) system supports weather forecasting, severe storm tracking and meteorology research.  GOES satellite and ground antenna systems provide a continuous stream of environmental data, allowing weather forecasters and others to efficiently track global weather patterns and other meteorological events that can directly affect public safety.  

The new 16-meter antennas will be installed at the NOAA Wallops Command and Data Acquisition Station in Wallops, Va., with a remote backup site in Fairmont, W.Va.  The antennas that will be upgraded as part of this contract are located at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Md.  In addition to supporting the new GOES-R program, SATCOM Technologies' antennas will also be compatible with existing GOES-N through GOES-P series of satellites.  

The antenna deliveries will be aligned with the first GOES-R satellite launch, scheduled for 2015.  SATCOM Technologies is supported by its subcontractor Nexcom, Inc., of Melbourne, Fla., which will provide high power amplifiers to the program.