WSF-M

WSF-M satellites are planned to operate in a 1,300-kilometer polar sun-synchronous orbit.

WSF-M is a 1,200-kilogram satellite centered on a microwave imager instrument developed by Ball Aerospace.

Ball Aerospace completed the spacecraft bus for the Weather System Follow-on–Microwave (WSF-M) satellite.

The WSF-M satellite is scheduled to launch early next year from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

BAE Systems built the MWI for WSF-M, designed and built the WSF-M satellite bus, and led all environmental and mission compatibility testing for the mission.

WSF-M is scheduled to launch early next year from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Once in orbit, WSF-M will provide the Department of Defense with data on tropical cyclone intensity.

Funding for WSF-M totaled nearly $210,000,000 in 2020 before falling to $86,000,000 for 2021 according to Pentagon projections referenced in the article.

Ball Aerospace was selected by the Space and Missile Systems Center in 2017 to design WSF-M and received a $349,000,000 fixed-price contract in 2018 to build the first WSF-M satellite.

The Space and Missile Systems Center projected WSF-M to launch in late 2023 and become operational in mid-2024.

Since the Air Force selected Ball Aerospace in 2017, Ball Aerospace has received awards worth about $417,300,000 for WSF-M.

Ball Aerospace was awarded a contract modification to develop and build the second WSF-M space vehicle expected to be completed by late 2027.

Ball Aerospace completed construction of the WSF-M spacecraft bus and the satellite’s Microwave Imager (MWI) instrument on 2023-01-10.

Ball Aerospace received a follow-on contract last year to build and deliver a second WSF-M satellite that is expected to be completed in early 2026.

Ball Aerospace was awarded a follow-on contract last year to build and deliver a second WSF-M satellite expected to be completed in early 2026.

Ball Aerospace designed, built, and integrated the WSF-M spacecraft bus and its ground data processing software.