Sensing solar disturbance

NASA has awarded a $92m contract to the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado for sensors that will help forecast solar disturbances.

The laboratory will build the Extreme Ultra Violet and X-Ray Irradiance Sensors, which detect solar disturbances that can affect communications and navigational operations, for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geostationary Operational Environmental (GOES-R) programme.

The GOES-R satellite series will upgrade existing weather and environmental monitoring services, and its initial launch is scheduled for December 2014.

The instruments will be designed and developed by the Boulder, Colorado-based laboratory, which will also provide post-delivery support for GOES-R.