[Satellite TODAY 07-01-10] Northrop Grumman has delivered an advanced infrared sensor, designed to improve weather forecasting around the world, to Ball Aerospace for integration and testing on the precursor satellite to the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), Northrop Grumman announced June 30.
    The Cross-track Infrared Sounder sensor aims to provide more than 1,000 spectral channels of information at an improved horizontal spatial resolution. The instrument has been developed to provide military and civil operational users with high caliber data for the next decade and beyond.
    The sensor was built by ITT Corp. under contract to Northrop Grumman for the NPOESS program, with the first unit onboard the NPP spacecraft, scheduled to launch next year.