Harris Corporation, a communications and information technology company, has reportedly completed the system requirements review of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – Series R Ground Segment.

The company is working on the GOES-Series R GS data processing system as part of a U.S. National Oceanic (News - Alert) and Atmospheric Administration program.

The review is supposed to check the functional and performance requirements of the GOES-R mission which will process satellite weather data to more than 10,000 direct users as well as process 40 times more data than is possible today. Harris has been contracted to provide the command and control of operational satellites.

Ray Thorpe, vice president of GOES-R programs at Harris Government Communications Systems (News - Alert), said that the completion establishes a common understanding of all of the requirements the GOES-R ground segment must meet during development, deployment and operation. Officials are also now one step closer to fielding a weather prediction system that will give forecasters an unprecedented edge when dealing with dangerous weather conditions.

GOES satellites that are employed at present are used by NOAA to detect and track hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes and other severe weather in the continental United States and the western hemisphere. The next generation GOES-R systems are designed to offer enhanced image resolution and are capable of increasing the rate of image coverage of earth surfaces from every 30 minutes to every five minutes in normal conditions and every 30 seconds during severe weather events.

According to officials, Harris GOES-R GS team members include: Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Boeing Mission Operations, Carr Astronautics, Honeywell Technology Solutions, Wyle (News - Alert) Information Systems and Applied Research and Engineering Sciences and the team is providing a service-based, open-architecture solution to accommodate the anticipated 40-times increase in data to be taken in, processed and distributed to more than 10,000 direct users. The first launch of a GOES-R series satellite is scheduled for 2015.

Recently Harris demonstrated wideband tactical communications expertise and completed qualification testing of U.S. Navy multiband SATCOM terminal.