Radiometrics, through its acquisition of DeTect Meteorological Systems Group, was chosen to replace the outdated radar wind profiler (RWP) system at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. For years, NASA had relied on weather balloons to monitor upper-level winds, with their aging RWP serving as a backup. However, NASA’s heavy-lift rocket programs needed more precise and current wind data, driving the demand for a modern, reliable RWP system. The new system is designed to last for the next 20 years.
Radiometrics was tasked with upgrading NASA’s old radar infrastructure. During the process, they recognized the need for a specialized antenna manufacturer that could meet the stringent requirements of the project. The custom-engineered antenna solution would need to:
- Be “tuned” to function seamlessly within a larger system.
- Understand extreme conditions, including hurricane-force winds.
- Be mass-produced to ensure uniformity, as the project required hundreds of identical antennas to meet performance specifications.
After reaching out to various suppliers, only a select few met NASA’s demanding criteria. Sinclair Technologies emerged as the ideal partner due to its expertise in antenna customization and mass production. To ensure the antenna design was precisely aligned with the system’s needs, Radiometrics collaborated closely with Sinclair’s design engineers, learning their design approach and testing methods.
Together, Radiometrics and Sinclair worked diligently to meet performance standards and produce the required antennas. Sinclair succeeded in delivering 640 identical Yagi antennas, each operating at 49.25 MHz.
These antennas are now a crucial component of NASA’s Radar Wind Profiler system at Kennedy Space Center, helping ensure the safe launch of rockets by providing accurate wind data.
