[SatNews] Thales Alenia Space has signed a contract with Ball Aerospace covering the preliminary phase for the GFO-2 RA altimeter, which will equip the new-generation Geosat Follow-On 2 (GFO-2) satellite. This phase covers the definition, design and system compatibility aspects; the final contract for the production of the altimeter is expected by the end of 2010.

Ball Aerospace is the program's prime contractor on behalf of the U.S. Navy. The measurements provided by this new-generation GFO-2 will cover all of the planet’s oceans, delivering vital data for military strategy. As a partner in this programme, Thales Alenia Space will develop the bi-frequency altimeter, using a technology derived from the Poseidon family of altimeters, already in operation on the Jason series of oceanography satellites. Thales Alenia Space and Ball Aerospace have already teamed up on climatology, since the Caliop instrument built by Ball Aerospace was integrated in the Calipso satellite in Thales Alenia Space’s clean rooms, within the scope of the partnership between NASA and French space agency CNES.