Air Force Awards Weather Satellite Development Contract to Tomorrow.io

Tomorrow Companies, also known as Tomorrow .io. has secured a $10.2 million contract to build and launch two microwave sounder satellites that will provide weather data to inform Department of Defense operations.

The new spacecraft will be part of the company’s planned 30-satellite constellation, which will comprise 18 microwave sounders and 12 microwave radar satellites.

According to Maj. Coy Fischer, Commercial Weather Data Pilot program manager, the contract allows the DOD to purchase weather data, a process seen as a more efficient method than having the agency collect such information independently, AF. mil reported.

“We are now seeing commercial efforts in space that are as good as and, in some cases, better than the public sector,” Fischer said. “With this construct, we would just pay for the service and they (commercial entities) assume the risk of operating and maintaining the constellation,” he added.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Weather Systems Branch awarded the contract through the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies program.