spacetoday.net: GeoEye-1 spacecraft operations suspended because of glitch

Posted: Thu, Dec 17, 2009, 1:44 PM ET (1844 GMT)
GeoEye-1 illustration (GeoEye)

Commercial remote sensing company GeoEye announced Thursday that it has suspende operations of its newest satellite because of an antenna glitch. GeoEye said that it suspended operations of its GeoEye-1 satellite, launched in September 2008, because of a problem steering the spacecraft's antenna, used to transmit imagery to ground stations. The problem, if not resolved, could affect GeoEye's foreign partners, who operate their own ground stations to receive satellite imagery, but would not impair the company's ability to serve the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), GeoEye's biggest customer. This problem could cost the company up to 10 percent of its projected 2010 revenue, company officials said. GeoEye shares were down over 15% in midday trading on Nasdaq.