Segment hits a major mark as the program prepares for launch

OMAHA, Neb., March 10, 2009 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company , Northrop Grumman Corp. and the NPOESS (National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System) Integrated Program Office recently deployed and successfully demonstrated the ground segment's interface data processing segment to the Air Force Weather Agency at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.

The team conducted a demonstration for the agency using simulated data from the primary NPOESS sensor. The data was streamed from Svalbard, Norway, through the NPOESS command, control and communications segment and then processed by the interface data processing segment at the Air Force Weather Agency.

"A new height in weather satellite data exploitation was accomplished when the simulated data was successfully processed," said Col. John Murphy, Air Force Weather Agency commander. "The interface data processing segment completes the first operational NPOESS ground system in the Defense Department and will be vital to future weather exploitation and military operations."

The segment, which will link NPOESS data products to users, is vital for future environmental analysis and weather forecasting that support civil applications, scientific research and military operations.

"This marks significant progress in validating that the NPOESS ground segment performs well for the NPOESS Preparatory Project and delivers a quality product to the end user," said Michael Mader, vice president and NPOESS program director for Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems. "The test validates all the hard work that the NPOESS Integrated Program Office, NASA and the contractor team have accomplished."

Raytheon is part of prime contractor Northrop Grumman's NPOESS team. NPOESS is a satellite system that will be used to monitor global environmental conditions and collect and disseminate data related to weather, atmosphere, oceans, land and near-space environments.

Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems is a leading provider of intelligence and information solutions, specializing in the ground processing, unmanned ground systems, cybersecurity operations, homeland security and other markets to resolve the most complex problems for our customers worldwide. IIS had 2008 revenues of $3.1 billion and employs more than 9,000 engineering and technical professionals worldwide.

Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

Note to Editors:

Raytheon routed the data processed during the test, using the NPP ground system, from the ground station in Svalbard, Norway, sending it through a NASA-NOAA wide area network at 40Mbps across the Baltic Sea and Atlantic Ocean to the AFWA facility at Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha, Neb. At AFWA, the data was processed into environmental data records using the operational NPOESS IDPS. The entire operational NPOESS ground segment was exercised to transmit and fully process sensor stored mission data, in real-time, at the NPP mission operational rate.

    Contact:
    Keith Little
    703.849.1675

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

Web site: http://www.raytheon.com/

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