The U.S. Air Force has issued a request for information for the primary sensor on its next-generation weather satellite, a first step toward acquiring the hardware. In a Feb. 19 posting on the Federal Business Opportunities website, the service said it intends to award a fixed-price contract for "a cost effective space-based passive microwave sensor" for the Weather Satellite Follow-on. The notice solicits industry input on sensor capabilities, cost and risk. The Weather Satellite Follow-on, which will replace the Air Force's venerable Defense Meteorological Satellite System spacecraft, will consist of a single satellite carrying two or three instruments that would launch into sun-synchronous orbit in 2021 or 2022. The program is expected to cost about $856 million, according to Air Force budget documents.
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