L3Harris Space Instruments and EO Sensors

L3Harris Technologies is a major US defense prime contractor with a substantial space systems division, manufacturing electro-optical sensors, focal plane arrays (FPAs), and space science instruments for government and commercial customers. The company’s Fort Wayne, Indiana facility produces space-qualified infrared and visible FPAs for reconnaissance satellites, weather satellites, and missile defense systems.

L3Harris developed the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) aboard NOAA’s GOES-16, -17, and -18 geostationary weather satellites — providing 16-band multispectral imaging of the Western Hemisphere with 30-second to 15-minute full-disk update rates. The ABI enables forecasters to track hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and atmospheric rivers in near-real-time with unprecedented detail.

For defense and intelligence, L3Harris supplies infrared focal plane arrays used in Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) missile warning satellites, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) surveillance sensors, and Space Force orbital awareness systems. L3Harris Space also produces inertial navigation systems, electronic warfare payloads, and communications subsystems for government spacecraft. The company was formed in 2019 by the merger of L3 Technologies and Harris Corporation.