[Satellite Today 05-11-09] NASA awarded Northrop Grumman a contract worth up to $44.5 million over a 10-year period to support the design, manufacture, assembly, test and calibration of a flight model instrument on its Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (Ceres), Northrop Grumman announced May 7.
    Ceres instruments are broadband radiometers that scan Earth, observing reflected shortwave and Earth-emitted radiance. The measurements aid in the study of Earth’s climate system.
    The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is funding the development of the Ceres flight model under a reimbursable agreement with NASA. The instrument will fly on the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) C1 mission.