ITT Exelis wins $13M contract for weather imaging sensor

ITT Exelis has won a $13 million contract with the U.S. Air Force to study design modifications and concepts for an affordable, low-risk weather imaging sensor.

This contract is in support of the Weather Satellite Follow-On Program, and it will solidify the design for the imaging sensor and ensure that it can be flown on multiple satellite platforms, the company said.

The Exelis electro-optical/infrared environmental sensor, as it is known, will have more channels, upgraded electronics and will be at a much lower cost than current imaging sensors.

“Our sensor design will provide the Air Force and the warfighter with better weather information, especially regarding clouds, which is critical to mission planning,” said Eric Webster, ITT Exelis vice president of Weather Systems.

“Our goal is to do it at a much more affordable price and at a much lower risk than normal satellite procurements. At the end of the study, we will have a definitive cost and schedule to build the flight hardware,” he said.