This week, Ball Aerospace successfully completed testing on the Weather System Follow-on – Microwave (WSF-M) satellite, marking a significant milestone in their delivery of two satellites for the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command next-generation operational environmental satellite system.

The WSF-M satellite, once deployed in orbit, will play a pivotal role in providing critical data to the Department of Defense, addressing gaps in space-based environmental monitoring. This data encompasses essential metrics like ocean wind speed and direction, tropical cyclone intensity, ice thickness, snow depth, and soil moisture. The scheduled launch for WSF-M is early next year, slated to occur at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Hope Damphousse, Vice President of Strategic Operations at Ball Aerospace, emphasized the significance of this achievement, stating, "The completion of the WSF-M satellite is an important milestone in Ball Aerospace's ongoing mission to protect what matters most. The data this satellite gathers will be invaluable in ensuring our nation's warfighters across all domains have the environmental intelligence they need to properly plan and execute their vital missions."

Ball Aerospace, serving as the prime contractor for this project, undertook the design, construction, and integration of various components, including the spacecraft bus, ground data processing software, and the Microwave Imager (MWI). The MWI serves as the primary instrument on the satellite, employing passive radiometric measurements at multiple microwave frequencies to collect environmental data. Furthermore, the satellite will host a government-built Energetic Charged Particle (ECP) sensor, furnishing crucial space weather measurements in low-Earth orbit.

In a significant development, Ball Aerospace was awarded a follow-on contract to manufacture and deliver a second WSF-M satellite, with an anticipated completion date in early 2026. The WSF-M program contributes to Ball Aerospace's extensive legacy in space-based environmental monitoring systems, which includes the development of the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) instrument on the Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2), along with the Ball-built Suomi National Polar Orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) and NOAA-20 satellites. Additionally, Ball played a key role in designing and building the Ion Velocity Meter (IVM) space weather sensors deployed on five satellites within the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate-2 (COSMIC-2) environmental satellite program.

Ball Aerospace, driven by their inherently curious team and unwavering mission focus, continues to lead the way in pioneering discoveries that empower their customers to exceed expectations and safeguard what is of utmost importance. Their innovative space solutions, precise weather forecasts, insightful Earth observations, actionable data and intelligence, and support for those defending freedom exemplify their commitment to going beyond expectations. Embrace the future with Ball.®

Source:prnewswire.com