NGA Awards Big Satellite Imagery Contracts

August 9, 2010 at 5:06 am | Posted in Remote Sensing Law Current Events | Leave a comment

by Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz with the blog faculty

Source: Space News

WASHINGTON — The U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has awarded contracts potentially worth a combined $7.3 billion over the next 10 years to U.S. imaging satellite operators DigitalGlobe and GeoEye under the EnhancedView program, the NGA announced late Aug. 6.

“These contracts will meet NGA, Intelligence Community and Department of Defense needs for additional amounts of imagery beyond what current contracts provide as well as support humanitarian and crisis support efforts,” the NGA said in a press release.

DigitalGlobe of Longmont, Colo., and GeoEye of Dulles, Va., have been providing imagery to the NGA under a contracting vehicle called NextView that pays the companies $12.5 million per month each. The EnhancedView contracts take effect immediately, although it is unclear whether the NextView contracts will remain in effect, NGA spokeswoman Susan Meisner said. More…