Raytheon has completed an upgrade and final testing of the data transport and processing system for the Joint Polar Satellite System Common Ground System which provides weather and environmental data used by NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Department of Defense and the agencies' international partners.
The upgrade accelerates data processing and dissemination, improves system availability and provides cybersecurity protection of the data and the CGS in support of the upcoming JPSS-1 launch as well as future satellite missions.
"The new system will output 11 terabytes of data a day being downlinked from the JPSS constellation," said Matt Gilligan, vice president of Raytheon's Navigation and Environmental Solutions. "JPSS CGS will speed up delivery of weather data to regional forecast centers that build weather models, track environmental aerosols and map polar ice movements."
The system upgrade precedes the final major step – an upgrade of the flight operations elements of the CGS – prior to the JPSS-1 launch scheduled for September 2017.
The Raytheon-built Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite on JPSS-1, as well as the Raytheon-supported Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System used by NOAA for weather forecasting, rely on the JPSS CGS.
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Japan's cherry blossom season kicks off boozy parties across the country and draws tourists from far and wide, but the annual coming-of-spring ritual isn't official until inspectors like Hisato Nishii sign off on it.
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