[Satellite TODAY 09-22-10] NASA, acting on behalf of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), awarded a sole-source contract to ITT Corp. to produce the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) instrument for the agency’s Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1), set to launch in 2014, NASA announced Sept. 21.
    The cost-reimbursement contract is worth approximately $98.6 million, with a period of performance through September 2014. ITT will manufacture, test and deliver the CrIS, support instrument integration on JPSS-1, and provide launch and post-launch support.
    The CrIS will provide detailed atmospheric temperature and moisture observations for weather and climate applications. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., will direct acquisition for the program.
    JPSS is the restructured civilian portion of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), which includes satellites and sensors supporting civil weather and climate measurements and a shared ground infrastructure with the U.S. Department of Defense weather satellite system.