The Naval Research Laboratory's Microwave Imager/Sounder (MIS) program successfully passed a major milestone with the completion of the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) on April 6-8, 2010.
The MIS sensor is an environmental satellite payload that is being designed to satisfy a diverse set of Department of Defense data collection requirements including soil moisture, sea-surface wind speed, and upper-atmospheric sounding. The MIS PDR was the second in a series of event-driven Systems Engineering Technical Review (SETR) milestones that are rigorously adjudicated by independent technical experts and review teams. The MIS Program was approved to proceed to the Complete Design phase.
NRL's MIS sensor program was initiated in July 2008 by the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Integrated Program Office to design, develop, and produce a microwave imager and sounder space sensor. The NRL team has worked hard with the IPO to develop an excellent MIS program, said Mr. Robert Towsley, the program manager. The design review successfully showcased the progress of the sensor design. I am looking forward to working with our sponsor as we continue to develop the MIS sensor.
The MIS sensor program is managed by NRL's Spacecraft Engineering Department (SED) and is a continuation of the very successful collaboration between the SED and NRL's Remote Sensing Division, originated during the WindSat/Coriolis mission.