CONTACT: Patricia Viets FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
7/3/97A $5.3 million contract to operate and maintain a satellite tracking station in Fairbanks, Alaska, has been awarded to Lockheed Martin Technology Services Inc. of Cherry Hill, N.J., the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today.
The contract, for operation and maintenance of NOAA's Command and Data Acquisition station, is for one base year ($5.3 million), with four one-year options. Under the contract Lockheed Martin will acquire environmental and weather data from NOAA's polar-orbiting satellites, and maintain the operational satellite tracking systems and station facilities.
"We are proud of our long-term relationship with Lockheed Martin at the NOAA Fairbanks Command and Data Acquisition Station," said station manager Jim Budd. "We look forward to continuing this relationship and working together as a team."
NOAA operates two polar-orbiting satellites, NOAA-12 and NOAA-14, which constantly circle the Earth in an almost north-south orbit, passing close to both poles. These satellites support large-scale, long-range weather forecasts, environmental research, and search and rescue efforts. Operating as a pair, they ensure that data for any region of the Earth are no more than six hours old.
The satellites send more than 16,000 global measurements to NOAA's stations in Fairbanks and Wallops, Va., adding valuable information to forecasting models and environmental research. The search and rescue instruments on-board the satellites have aided in the rescue of 6,400 stranded pilots, mariners, and land-based people in distress.