Astrotech Corporation, reports that its Astrotech Space Operations (ASO) subsidiary has been awarded a NASA task order contract to provide payload processing services for the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite at ASO's Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, facility.

SMAP is the second mission awarded by NASA under the current Not-to-Exceed $16 million Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) task order contract that runs through December, 2017.

The Jet Propulsion Lab satellite, scheduled to launch in October, 2014, will gather global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state from space. The three-year applied science mission will enhance weather forecasts and climate monitoring and prediction capabilities.

"Astrotech is proud to have been selected by NASA for this important earth science mission," stated ASO General Manager Don M. White, Jr.

"We are excited to be part of a mission that will provide valuable information about our planet. SMAP will increase understanding of the conditions that influence floods and droughts, wildfires, ecosystem health, water resources, agriculture and forestry."

In January, NASA awarded a Not-to-Exceed $12.1 million Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) task order contract to ASO Florida to provide commercial payload processing services for satellites launched at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

From Titusville, Florida, and Vandenberg AFB, California, Astrotech Space Operations provides all support necessary for Government and commercial customers to successfully process their satellite hardware for launch, including advance planning; use of unique facilities; and spacecraft checkout, encapsulation, fueling, and transport. In its 31-year history, Astrotech has supported the successful processing of more than 300 spacecraft.