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Northrop Grumman awarded $429M contract for Polar payloads

By Allen Cone
Northrop Grumman was awarded a $428.8 million contract for two payloads for the Enhanced Polar System's satellites. Photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman was awarded a $428.8 million contract for two payloads for the Enhanced Polar System's satellites. Photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman

Feb. 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $428.8 million contract to Northrop Grumman for two payloads for the Enhanced Polar System's satellites.

The two EPS constellation satellites operate in highly elliptical orbits, according to Northrop Grumman.

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They will succeed the current Interim Polar System and work in conjunction with another EHF SATCOM system, the company said.

The EPS-R EHF XDR payloads will "prevent a Military Satellite Communications mission gap in the Polar region," the Department of Defense said in a release.

Work will be performed at Grumman's Aerospace Systems' Space Park in Redondo Beach, Calif., and is expected to be completed by December 2022.

So, far $5 million was obligated from Fiscal 2017 research and development funds, and $15 million in fiscal 2018 research and development funds.

The contracting agency is the Space and Missile Systems Center, Military Satellite Communications Directorate at the Los Angeles Air Force Base.

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