[12-20-07 – Satellite Today] Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. has been awarded a $96.7 million contract by NASA to provide the Geostationary Lightning Mapper for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-R series, Lockheed Martin announced Dec. 19.
    Data from the sensor, which will monitor lightning around the globe, will be used to study the formation, distribution, morphology and evolution of storms and help protect communities by increasing severe storm and tornado warning times. The data also enables investigations into the mechanisms at the core of the global water and energy cycle.   
    In September, Lockheed Martin won a $178 million contract to design and build the Solar Ultraviolet Imager for GOES-R. The satellites, managed by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, provides advance weather warnings.
    The first GOES-R spacecraft is scheduled to be launched in December 2014.