NASA Selects Combined Data Services Contract For Polar Satellites

NASA has selected the Norwegian Space Centre (NSC) of Oslo, Norway, for combined data support services for NOAA's Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Program. This is a firm-fixed price contract with a value of about $22 million, which includes one base year and four one-year options to extend performance.

This contract permits usage of the Svalbard Satellite Station ground station and other NSC data services resources to support the JPSS Program requirements for three missions: Global Change Observation - Water 1, Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership and JPSS-1.

The contract provides satellite data acquisition and distribution services for current polar orbiting satellites. It includes mission planning and related support activities for the JPSS Program and for the JPSS-1 mission.

JPSS is a new generation of polar-orbiting satellites designed to enhance the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) efforts to forecast weather and track global climate change from space.

Under the NOAA-NASA partnership, NOAA is responsible for the JPSS Program, including funding the advanced instruments, sensors and the two planned spacecraft and launch vehicles. NASA is the acquisition and system integrator for JPSS.