Svalbard, Norway, is the location of the northernmost Joint Polar Satellite System Common Ground System station. Photo: Raytheon.

Raytheon’s next-generation Common Ground System for the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS CGS 2.0) is now operational, supporting 11 polar-orbiting satellites and delivering observations to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s (NOAA) National Weather Service almost 50 percent faster than before.

According to Matt Gilligan, vice president of Raytheon’s navigational and environmental solutions, the new ground system significantly improves the mission capabilities of the JPSS program, and is able to handle more data from the full constellation of satellites now and into the future.

Developed by NASA for NOAA, the JPSS CGS collects and disseminates observations from polar-orbiting weather satellites from the United States, Europe and Japan.

The polar orbiters provide critical weather and environmental data to ensure meteorologists and forecasters have the information they need to make timely and accurate weather predictions that help save lives, protect property and decrease the devastating economic impact caused by severe weather.