The Southwest Research Institute, a nonprofit applied research and development organization, has booked a $60 million contract with NASA to build critical components for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Next program.
Expectations of the NASA Contract
The San Antonio, Texas-based organization said Thursday the cost-plus-fixed-fee contract covers the development of three coronagraphs for the Lagrange 1 Series project. SwRI will execute the design, analysis, development and fabrication of the instruments. The contract also covers integration, testing, verification and evaluation of the coronagraphs.
SwRI will also provide launch support, supply and maintenance of ground support equipment and post-launch instrument operations support at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility.
The project will be conducted at the SwRI facility in San Antonio. It will run from November 2024 to January 2034. Two of the coronagraphs will be launched aboard a NOAA spacecraft while the third one will serve as flight spare. The launch of the second coronagraph marks the end of the contract.
What Are Coronagraphs?
Coronagraphs are instruments utilized by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center to gather critical data necessary for making forecasts, warnings and alerts. These instruments monitor the sun’s outer atmosphere and detect coronal mass ejections directed toward Earth. This allows early warnings for geomagnetic storms and gives time for public and private entities to protect their assets.
