ITT remote sensing payloads on NOAA-N Prime sat

06 February 2009, 2:37pm

ROCHESTER, N.Y., February 6, 2009 - ITT Corporation today celebrated the successful launch of the NOAA-N Prime weather satellite aboard the ULA Delta II 7320-10C from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The NOAA-N Prime carries three sounding instruments; among them is ITT's High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS/4). The satellite also boasts two radiometers including ITT's Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR/3).

The satellite is the last in the Television Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS) series of NOAA weather satellites that have been serving the nation since 1960. Once fully operational, NOAA-N Prime will provide continued service to collect Earth's weather data regarding atmosphere, surface and cloud cover.

The HIRS/4 is used to obtain measurements determining ocean surface temperatures, total atmospheric ozone levels, cloud height and coverage, and surface radiance. This fourth generation HIRS is a 20-channel sounder that provides improvements over its predecessors with the inclusion of a fifth Internal Warm Target (IWT) temperature sensor and the addition of a tertiary telescope sensor with capabilities to calibrate atmospheric profile data and radiometric data at 40 different atmospheric levels.

The AVHRR/3 is recognized as the operational imager for global weather data. The AVHRR/3 is a six multi-spectral channel radiometer, up from a four-channel in its original form. The additional channels have contributed to improvements in performance and operational capabilities, as well as improved spectral performance such as low light energy detection, snow/ice discrimination and global vegetation index. ITT Space Systems Division developed this third generation AVHRR for NOAA-15, launched in May 1998. The system is also on board MetOP-1, Europe's first meteorological operational polar orbiting satellite.

"This weather satellite benefits from our significant expertise, including over 30 years of HIRS and AVHRR development and implementation on the TIROS-N series," said Rob Mitrevski, vice president and director of Commercial and Space Sciences, ITT Space Systems Division. "The innovative capabilities on HIRS and AVHRR will provide improved data for meteorologists to better monitor and predict weather and other climate and environmental activities. "

ITT's Space Systems Division provides innovative remote sensing and navigation solutions to customers in the Department of Defense, intelligence, space science and commercial aerospace to help them visualize and understand critical events happening on Earth, in the air, or in space in time to take effective action. Leveraging comprehensive capabilities, Space Systems' solutions span from image and data collection through processing and dissemination. Key applications include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; high-resolution commercial imaging; space science; climate and environmental monitoring; GPS navigation; image and data processing and dissemination; and space control and missile defense.

ITT's Space Systems Division

Geo: International