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ITT Exelis has completed tests on an advanced baseline imager to be used for the new series of geostationary operational environmental satellites for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
During the test, the ABI was exposed to extreme cold and hot temperatures, mimicking space-like conditions, according to an Exelis statement.
Exelis weather systems vice president Eric Webster said the test shows that the ABI’s design requirements were met and that it can “reliably spend years in space sending vital weather data and images back.”
Webster added that the company expects an on-time delivery of the ABI this year for the GEOS-R launch in 2015.
Exelis said last year, the ABI’s environmental test involved vibration testing through a launch simulation.
The ABI “will make images available to forecasters every 30 seconds rather than every 7.5 minutes today. Also, for the first time, it will allow NOAA to pinpoint and track a specific storm while still collecting data and images from across the country,” Webster said.
