Ocean Color Instrument for NOAA satellites to be built by BAE Systems
NewsMay 30, 2024
BROOMFIELD, Colorado. BAE Systems will construct the Ocean Color Instrument (OCX) for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) satellite constellation, the company announced in a statement.
As a result of this decision, BAE Systems will develop all three hyperspectral instruments for the GeoXO mission, including OCX, the GeoXO Sounder (GXS), and the Atmospheric Composition Instrument (ACX), the company says.
The OCX, a hyperspectral imager, will perform high-spatial resolution observations of the Great Lakes and vast areas within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in order to deliver comprehensive data on water quality, ocean biology and chemistry, and changes in ecosystems, increasing the frequency of observations to every two hours, the statement reads. The purpose of this increased observation rate is to help monitor rapidly changing environmental conditions.
Additionally, BAE Systems is working on the GXS and ACX instruments. The GXS is designed to provide real-time atmospheric data critical for refining weather prediction models and enhancing short-term severe weather forecasts, while the ACX will focus on air quality, measuring various emissions hourly during daylight to improve air quality predictions and track emissions movement and concentration, the statement adds.
The GeoXO constellation is slated to begin operations in the early 2030s and will remain operational through 2055, the company says.
