ITT to build infrared focal plane array sensor for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope
Posted by John Keller
GREENBELT, Md., 24 Jan. 2010.Infrared sensor systems experts at the ITT Corp. Geospatial Systems segment in Rochester, N.Y., will provide the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) Spare Focal Plane Array (FPA) for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) under terms of a contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Officials of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., announced plans Friday to award a sole-source contract to ITT Geospatial Systems to build, test, and flight qualify NIRSpec FPA infrared focal plane array sensor array for the Webb Telescope.
NASA will award the contract to ITT on or about 24 March, NASA officials say. ITT will provide the personnel, facilities, and materials to build the spaceflight-qualified NIRSpec flight spare FPA.
The two sensor chip assemblies necessary to populate the focal plane array sensor will come from the government, NASA officials say. Only ITT will be able to provide a flight qualified FPA spare in time to meet production schedules for the Webb Telescope for NASA and its partner, the European Space Agency.
More information on this to-be-awarded contract is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/NASA/GSFC/OPDC20220/4200310799/listing.html.
For more information contact NASA Goddard Space Flight Center online at www.nasa.gov, or ITT Geospatial Systems at www.geospatial.itt.com.
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