KBR, Inc.'s (NYSE: KBR) global government services business, KBRwyle, has been awarded a $19 million contract by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to support flight operations for the agency's Landsat 7 satellite.
The Landsat 7 satellite is part of the Landsat program, a joint initiative of the USGS and NASA. Landsat satellites provide space-based images of the Earth's land surface, collecting valuable data that helps reduce hunger on Earth, enhances how quickly emergency response teams stabilize fires, and aids scientists in understanding humanity's impact on the planet.
Artistic rendition of the Landsat-7 satellite.
Under this contract, KBRwyle will perform flight operations, system maintenance, testing, and sustainment engineering activities to support the on-orbit Landsat 7 spacecraft and payload. KBRwyle will also operate and maintain the Mission Operations Center (MOC) ground systems and backup Mission Operations Center (bMOC). Additionally, the company will continue to participate in a NASA/USGS initiative to robotically refuel the Landsat 7 spacecraft.
KBRwyle will primarily perform this work at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, as well as at its office in Columbia, Maryland. The firm-fixed-price, time and materials contract's period of performance is one base year with four option years. The maximum value of this contract is $19 million, if all options are exercised.
Landsat satellites have acquired data from across the globe for more than four decades. The National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive (NSLRSDA) at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center holds the single most geographically and temporally rich collection of Landsat data in the world, currently holding more than six million Landsat scenes.
KBRwyle provides technical support services to the USGS EROS Center. At this center, KBRwyle maintains and operates the Landsat 7 and 8 ground processing system while helping to develop the next generation Landsat 9 ground system in support of a planned 2020 launch. The EROS Center processes and distributes data from the Landsat archive and other Earth Observing (EO) satellites, as well as other forms of geographic science products and information.
KBRwyle has partnered with NASA and USGS for more than two decades to help Landsat satellites provide imagery — a unique resource for those who work in agriculture, geology, forestry, regional planning, education, mapping, and global change research. KBRwyle began its legacy of support with Landsat 5 in 1994, operating the satellite to set a new Guinness World Record for the longest-operating EO satellite.
Executive Comment
Byron Bright, KBR President, Government Services, U.S., said the company is proud to continue supporting this program that equips society with critical data about the Earth. Landsat satellites tell the story of the planet. They capture data from current events and show the evolution of the Earth's environment, providing invaluable information to decision makers.
