NASA has awarded a sole source contract modification to Exelis Space Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Harris Corporation, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, for two Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) instruments for flight on the Polar Follow-On/Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)-3 and -4 missions.

This is a cost-plus-award-fee modification in the amount of $316 million. The total value of this contract is increased from $385,203,769 by $316,030,564 to $701,234,333. This action extends the period of performance to 18 months after the launch of JPSS-4.

The contractor will manufacture, test and deliver two CrIS instruments, support instrument integration on the JPSS-3 and -4 spacecrafts and provide launch and post-launch support. The CrIS instruments will be new builds of the CrIS design currently flying on the NOAA/NASA Suomi NPP mission and planned for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) JPSS-1 and -2 missions.

CrIS is a high-spectral resolution infrared instrument that will measure atmospheric temperature, water vapor and trace gases. Forecasters use this data in computer models to improve global and regional predictions of weather patterns, storm tracks and precipitation. This information significantly improves short- and long-term weather forecasting.

The JPSS missions are funded by NOAA to provide global environmental data in low Earth polar orbit in support of NOAA's mission. NASA is the acquisition agent for the flight systems and components of the ground segment.