The Expendable Launch Vehicle Integrated Support 3 team of Saalex Corp. will assist NASA on Tuesday with the scheduled launch of a new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather satellite.
The NASA facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida will receive engineering, programmatic and technical assistance from the ELVIS 3 support team of Saalex in Camarillo.
The satellite will be used to identify wildfires and forecast drought in the western United States, Saalex said in a release.
Company founder and Chief Executive Travis Mack said that so many of the space missions the ELVIS 3 team supports involve the exploration of space but this launch is about better understanding environmental conditions here on Earth.
“It’s a far different perspective, but just as important as any space launch in which we have been involved,” Mack said in a statement. “As always, I am deeply proud of our ELVIS 3 team and its support for this mission.”
The Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite – 18 will enable meteorologists to detect and anticipate local weather occurrences that impact public safety such as wildfires, thunderstorms, tornadoes, fog, hurricanes, flash floods and other severe weather across the western contiguous United States, Saalex said in its release.
The satellite will also monitor Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Central America and the Pacific Ocean, the company said.