[Satellite Today – 3-13-08] Lockheed Martin has submitted a bid to NASA to manufacture the next generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R), the company announced March 13.
    Data from the GOES spacecraft, which will be operated by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will provide weather warning products to the commercial, educational and public sectors and foster economic growth and promote educational research. The future GOES-R mission will improve the quality and timeliness of its forecasts, thereby generating significant economic benefits to the nation in the areas of weather and water, climate, ecosystems monitoring and management, and commerce and transportation.
    Boeing Co. also submitted a bid for the spacecraft, a company spokesman confirmed. The contract is expected to be awarded in December, Greg Mandt, GOES-R system program director, said. The lifetime cost of the system is expected to be about $7.6 billion.