This artist's concept shows the new Weather System Follow-on – Microwave satellite Ball Aerospace is building for the U.S. Air Force under a contract awarded in November. It includes a passive microwave imaging radiometer instrument and energetic charged particle sensor supplied by the government.

Ball Aerospace won four National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration contracts worth a combined $2.32 million for weather satellite and instrument design studies.

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Debra Werner is a correspondent for SpaceNews based in San Francisco. Debra earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University. She is a recipient...