Satellite Delivered to Vandenberg Air Force Base
Longmont and Boulder, Colo. and White Plains, N.Y., Aug. 13 – Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., ITT Corporation and DigitalGlobe, the provider of the world’s highest-resolution imagery and geospatial information products, today announced delivery of its WorldView-1 satellite to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for its scheduled launch on Tuesday, September 18, 2007. WorldView-1 is the first of two new next-generation satellites DigitalGlobe plans to launch.
Upon launch on September 18, WorldView-1 will undergo a calibration and check out period and will deliver imagery soon after. First imagery from WorldView-1 is expected to be available prior to October 18, the sixth anniversary of the launch of QuickBird, DigitalGlobe’s current satellite. WorldView-1 will have an average revisit time of 1.7 days and will be capable of collecting up to 750,000 square kilometers (290,000 square miles) per day of half-meter imagery. The satellite will also be equipped with state-of-the- art geo-location accuracy capabilities and will exhibit stunning agility with rapid targeting and efficient in-track stereo collection.
"This is a momentous milestone that brings us one step closer to the launch of our next-generation satellite system," said Jill Smith, CEO of DigitalGlobe. "The addition of WorldView-1 and WorldView-2 in the coming months will bring the total number of satellites DigitalGlobe has in orbit to three, completing a constellation of spacecraft that will offer the highest collection capacity, more than 1 million square kilometers per day."
WorldView-1 is part of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)’s NextView program. The NextView program is designed to ensure that the NGA has access to commercial imagery in support of its mission to provide timely, relevant and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security. The majority of the imagery captured by WorldView-1 for the NGA will also be available for sale through DigitalGlobe’s archive. Additionally, the launch of WorldView-1 immediately frees up capacity on DigitalGlobe’s QuickBird satellite to meet the growing commercial demand for multi-spectral geospatial imagery.
"Ball Aerospace and DigitalGlobe have worked side-by-side on commercial remote sensing satellites for more than a decade to create one of the most capable systems in orbit," said David L. Taylor, president and CEO of Ball Aerospace. "The next-generation WorldView-1 and WorldView-2 satellites will capture more imagery than ever before due to the flexibility afforded by the Control Moment Gyro-based system designed by Ball Aerospace."
"Not only will ITT’s digital imaging sensor for WorldView-1 boast half-meter resolution with three-meter geo-location, it’ll do so using less space, weight and power than any previously launched system," said Frank Koester, vice president and director, Commercial & Space Sciences Programs, ITT Space Systems Division, based in Rochester, New York. "ITT looks forward to the successful test and launch of WorldView-1, followed by further success providing the sensor system for DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-2."
About DigitalGlobe
Longmont, Colo.-based DigitalGlobe (http://www.digitalglobe.com) is the clear leader in the global commercial Earth imagery and geospatial information market. The company’s technical superiority and innovation, unparalleled commitment to customer service, extensive business partner network and open systems philosophy make DigitalGlobe the preferred supplier of imagery products to government and commercial markets. DigitalGlobe is the only geospatial content provider to take an end-to-end approach to geospatial imagery, from acquiring proprietary high-resolution images through a leading-edge satellite and aerial network, to integrating and distributing that data through GlobeXplorer, a proprietary web-based search and retrieval system that makes it easy to find, purchase and download global imagery. DigitalGlobe’s QuickBird satellite is the world’s highest resolution commercial imaging system. The company’s next-generation WorldView-1 satellite is scheduled to launch in mid-2007, and its WorldView-2 satellite is anticipated to launch in late 2008. The company’s updated and growing ImageLibrary contains over two hundred million square kilometers of QuickBird imagery and an extensive global library of aerial imagery suited to countless mapping and planning needs.
About Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. (http://www.ballaerospace.com) develops and manufactures spacecraft, advanced instruments and sensors, components, data exploitation systems and RF solutions for strategic, tactical and scientific applications that support critical missions for the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial entities. Ball Aerospace is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ball Corporation , a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging products for beverage, food and household customers. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 15,500 people worldwide and reported 2006 sales of $6.6 billion.
About ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation (http://www.itt.com) supplies advanced technology products and services in several growth markets. ITT is a global leader in the transport, treatment and control of water, wastewater and other fluids. The company plays a vital role in international security through its defense communications and electronics products; space surveillance and intelligence systems; and advanced engineering and related services. It also serves the growing leisure marine and electrical connectors markets with a wide range of products. Headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., the company generated $7.8 billion in 2006 sales. In addition to the New York Stock Exchange, ITT Corporation stock is traded on the Euronext and Frankfurt exchanges.