Air Force awards Ball Aerospace $93M weather satellite contract

The Air Force on Nov. 9 awarded Ball Aerospace & Technologies a $93.7 million contract for the Weather System Follow-on Microwave program.

The contract covers system design and risk reduction for a low-Earth-orbit satellite that will provide imaging and microwave sensing capabilities. In a Nov. 9 contract announcement, the service said it received two proposals for the program.

The service had expected to award the contract in late fiscal year 2017, but the process was slowed by language in the FY-17 National Defense Authorization Act that required the service to complete an acquisition strategy and achieve milestone A for a plan to address two additional weather requirements not met through WSF-M. That plan was approved in May.