Aerojet to Interpret Space Data for Army

Aerojet, an Azusa aerospace corporation, received a U.S. Army award of $49.5 million to develop a ground station that will process satellite data for military use.

The Joint Tactical Ground Station will provide fast, detailed reporting on ballistic missile launches using the sensors that detected missiles during the Persian Gulf War. The mobile station can be transported to the site of a military operation via aircraft.

The system is intended to convert raw satellite data into usable form in a shorter period than current technology without clogging high-priority communication lines.

Based on an existing prototype that the company developed in 1993, it will be compatible with any future surveillance system, said Nick Gionis, Aerojet’s director of surveillance ground systems.

In response to streamlined military funding, the project will cut costs by using off-the-shelf commercial hardware “instead of reinventing the wheel,” said Aerojet spokeswoman Michelle A. Simms.

The project is expected to be completed in late 1996 and will be performed at Aerojet’s Azusa site and at a subcontractor’s Colorado facility.