Southwest Research Gets $26.1M NASA Space Instrument Contract | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-04.14.25

Airborne-NextGen-04.15.25

AirborneUnlimited-04.16.25

Airborne-AffordableFliers-04.17.25

SunnFun-DayFour-04.03.25

Thu, Dec 19, 2024

Southwest Research Gets $26.1M NASA Space Instrument Contract

Will Build Magnetometer For NOAA Space Weather Next Program

The Southwest Research Institute of San Antonio was selected by NASA on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to build the next-generation space weather magnetometer for the Lagrange 1 Series project under NOAA’s Space Weather Next program. The cost-plus-fee contract includes development of two magnetometers and is valued at about $26.1 million.

The work will be done at Southwest’s facility in San Antonio, Texas, along with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, and Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The contract runs from December 2024 through January 2034.

The magnetometers measure the interplanetary magnetic field carried by the solar wind. The date obtained provide critical information to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center to enable the issuance of timely forecasts, alerts, and warnings to help mitigate the effects of impending solar storms that affect power grids, communications, and navigation systems.

The magnetometers will accompany a suite of additional instruments that will be placed into orbit around the Lagrange1 or L1 gravitational point. This is a point approximately 1.5 million km (900,000 mi) from Earth on the Earth-Sun line where the gravitational forces of the two bodies cancel each other out, providing a stable area for satellites to be placed for observations and reporting back to Earth.

Satellites at L1 relay real time measurements of space weather parameters such as solar wind observations, imaging of the Sun’s corona, thermal plasma, and the magnetic field. The satellites currently in place are past their designed lifetimes and are being replaced to maintain the continuity of monitoring space weather.

FMI:  www.nesdis.noaa.gov/

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.19.25): Discrete Code

Discrete Code As used in the Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS), any one of the 4096 selectable Mode 3/A aircraft transponder codes except those ending in zero zero; >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.19.25)

Aero Linx: The Museum of Flight The Museum of Flight is the largest independent, non-profit air and space museum in the world! With over 175 aircraft and spacecraft, tens of thousa>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Light, Adaptable, Innovative - Clarity Aloft Intro’s the Flex!

From 2018 (YouTube Edition): Clarity Aloft Introduces The TSO Certified Flex Headset The newest addition to the Clarity Aloft headset range is a big departure from previous designs>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (04.20.25)

“Despite this development, we strongly encourage WestJet management to work with ALPA pilot representatives to find more practical solutions for attracting and retaining skil>[...]

NTSB Prelim: PPHU Ekolot KR-030 Topaz

Pilot Stated That He Did Not Recall Any Aspects Of The Accident Sequence On April 8, 2025, about 1308 central daylight time, a PPHU Ekolot KR-030 Topaz light sport airplane, N568RD>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC