Posted: Tue, Jan 22, 2002, 12:22 AM ET (0522 GMT)
NASA announced Friday that it will extend the mission of the Earth Observing 1 (EO-1) spacecraft, a technology demonstration mission under the New Millennium Program. EO-1 was launched into Earth orbit in November 2000 on a one-year mission to test a number of advanced technologies, including a hyperspectral camera, X-band phased array antenna, and pulsed plasma thrusters. With those tests successfully completed, NASA and the US Geological Survey (USGS) have agreed to continue to operate the spacecraft so it can provide additional images for use by scientists, government agencies, and businesses. NASA will continue to operate the spacecraft while the USGS will handle orders for the images; the cost of the images will be set to pay for the continued operation of EO-1, estimated to be $5 million a year. NASA and USGS will continue to operate EO-1 as long as the spacecraft remains healthy and there is sufficient demand for the images: EO-1 could be shut down as early as this spring or as late as spring 2005.

Related Links:

•  NASA press release
•  EO-1 web site