[Satellite TODAY 03-08-13] The Air Force Space and Missile Center’s Defense Weather Systems Directorate has signed a contract with Millennium Space Systems for a 12-month research program on Systems and Spacecraft for space-based weather sensing.

   As part of the USAF Weather Satellite Follow-On Activities (WSFA) risk reduction technology project, the company will identify affordable, low-risk, and schedule-responsive long- and short-term solutions for the looming weather satellite gap expected to occur in approximately two years. 

   For this, Millennium is developing a Disaggregated Weather Satellite Pathfinder (DWSP) concept, using a constellation of weather sensing satellites to provide gap-filling, augmentation, replenishment, and replacement of current legacy Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) requirements systems.