Satellites Over Bucks County

First it was robots, not it is satellites:

At a press conference at the Lockheed Martin Facility in Newtown today, Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8th District) joined NOAA National Weather Service Forecast and Lockheed Martin officials to announce the construction of the next generation of the GOES R Series geostationary weather satellites in Bucks County. The NASA contract, worth approximately $1.09 billion, will enable Lockheed Martin to construct revolutionary imaging technology for NOAA, which is used to generate critically important severe weather forecasts. Over 50 new jobs will come to Bucks County through this project, with many more expected through 2010.

“I want thank NOAA and Lockheed Martin, because partnerships like these are key to bringing good-paying jobs to Bucks County,” said Congressman Patrick Murphy. “Fighting to bring new jobs to the 8th District is a crucial part of my job, and I’m proud that we’ve added over 250 jobs right here at the Newtown Lockheed Martin facility since I’ve taken office.”

Joe Miketta, Warning Coordination Meteorologist from NOAA's National Weather Service Facility in Mt. Holly, NJ, added “"NOAA's weather forecasters use satellites every day to provide crucial weather information to citizens throughout eastern Pennsylvania. The GOES-R series of weather satellites will provide improved data in a more timely way to better predict severe weather."

“This new contract to build the next series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) will benefit the economies of Newtown, Bucks County, the Delaware Valley and Pennsylvania,” said Lockheed Martin Newtown General Manager Marshall Byrd. “We are extremely grateful to Congressman Murphy for his support of this important weather forecasting system and for economic growth in Bucks County.”

GOES R is the next generation in the series of geostationary operational environmental satellites (GOES) that observe the earth from a distance of 22,300 miles and act as the nation’s weather sentinels monitoring tropical stores and hurricanes that threaten our shores, and providing data for short and long-range weather and climate forecasting.