Posted: Thu, Jan 16, 2003, 11:47 PM ET (0447 GMT)
The Defense Department announced Thursday that it has awarded long-term contracts to two companies to provide high-resolution satellite images, the largest such purchase by the Pentagon to date. The National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) awarded a $120 million contract to Space Imaging, which operates the Ikonos spacecraft, and a $96 million contract to DigitalGlobe, which operates the QuickBird satellite. The two satellites each offer high-resolution images for commercial customers: one meter resolution for Ikonos and 0.61 meter for QuickBird. The "Clearview" contracts are each for three years and could grow to $500 million each over the life of the contract. The contracts represent the largest purchase of high-resolution commercial satellite imagery to date by the US military, which previously had been reticent to buy commercial images. The awards should prove to be a big financial boost to both companies, who have sought more government work given the limited current demand for high-resolution images from the private sector.
