The 57.8-kilogram Compact Ocean Wind Vector Radiometer (COWVR), developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has a 75-centimeter reflector. COWVR's scan mechanism, feed horn, receivers, noise source for calibration remain stationary. In traditional scanning conical radiometers, the feed horn and receivers move around external calibration sources.

The U.S. Air Force plans to test the performance of a small microwave sensor developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the International Space Station in 2021.

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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...