Alion Awarded $4.4m NOAA Contract

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) collection, analysis and dissemination of ecosystem information on the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans and seas, and land-masses is critical to public safety, protection of property, and the economic health and development of communities in the United States and globally. Under a contract valued at $4.4m, employee-owned technology solutions provider Alion Science and Technology will perform a wide range of radio frequency (RF) spectrum services for the NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS) Office of Radio Frequency Management (ORFM) that will help to ensure environmental data can be gathered and transmitted via satellite.

Under the contract, Alion will support the protection of RF spectrum access for NOAA’s network of geostationary and polar-orbiting environmental satellites and associated ground systems by analyzing RF interference between NOAA and other satellite networks and providing RF engineering and project management expertise.  Alion will work with national and international RF spectrum policy-setting and regulatory bodies to support NOAA’s spectrum interests. Additionally, Alion will perform RF modeling and analysis of environmental satellite Earth-to-space and space-to-Earth communications and develop processes and procedures to ensure availability of RF spectrum for NOAA.

“Alion’s work will enable access to RF spectrum and protection from RF interference for NOAA,” said Sue Archer, Alion Senior Vice President and Manager of the Operational Solutions Group. “This work will include innovative approaches, enhanced processes and procedures, and ultimately more timely and cost-effective solutions to protect RF spectrum access for environmental satellites and ground systems. This will help to ensure NOAA’s ability to detect, track and observe meteorological phenomena such as hurricanes and other events that directly affect public safety.”

The period of performance runs June 30, 2009 through June 29, 2014.

(www.alionscience.com)