Imaging

Global Satellite industry revenue touches 177.3 bn: SIA

The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) released its 2012 State of the Satellite Industry Report. Globally, 2011 revenues for the satellite industry totalled USD 177.3 billion, a growth of 5 percent. This is the fi fteenth year that SIA has commissioned the Futron Corporation to conduct this annual survey. Futron polled over 80 satellite companies, both SIA members and non-members, to assess the performance of four satellite industry sectors: satellite services, satellite manufacturing, satellite launch industry and ground equipment.

www.sia.org

US Senate committee votes for imagery funding

The Senate Armed Services Committee, US, voted to authorise USD 125 million in continued funding for commercial imagery purchases in fi scal year 2013, which begins in October, restoring funds cut by the Pentagon in its proposed budget. The move would maintain funding at fi scal year 2012 levels and mandates a study by the Joint Staff and the Congressional Budget Offi ce on the requirements for commercial imagery. Both DigitalGlobe and GeoEye provide digital imagery services to US military and intelligence agencies and are working on next-generation satellites to double their capacity.

www.reuters.com

NGA to renew DigitalGlobe’s EnhancedView contract

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) informed DigitalGlobe that it is planning to renew DigitalGlobe’s Service Level Agreement (SLA). NGA plans to exercise DigitalGlobe’s SLA for the EnhancedView contract for the entirety of option year three, which begins on September 1, 2012 and continues through August 31, 2013.

www.digitalglobe.com

GeoEye receives cost-share payment for GeoEye 2

GeoEye, Inc. has received USD 111 million cost-share payment from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). In early June, the company successfully passed a major milestone in their GeoEye-2 satellite’s development as part of the NGA’s EnhancedView programme, triggering this cost-share payment. When operational in 2013, GeoEye-2 will provide cost-effective, shareable imagery for the US government and its many other customers, which is particularly important during times of global crisis.

www.geoeye.com

China launches RS satellite, Yaogan XV

China launched Yaogan XV remotesensing satellite from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China’s Shanxi province. The satellite will be used to conduct scientifi c experiments, carry out land surveys, monitor crop yields and aid in reducing and preventing natural disasters. The Long March 4B carrier rocket was produced by the Shanghai Academy of Spacefl ight Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

www.xinhuanet.com

Shivakumar is satellite centre chief

Scientist and associate director of the Indian Space Research Organisation Satellite Centre (ISAC) S K Shivakumar took over as its director. ISAC is ISRO’s centre for conceptualisation, design, fabrication, testing, integration and in-orbit commissioning of satellite systems involving various cutting edge technologies. Mr Shivakumar’s tenure with ISAC spans two decades, between 1978 and 1998 during which he contributed immensely to the mission planning, analysis and operations of several Indian satellite missions including Bhaskara, APPLE, IRS and INSAT. Signifi cantly, he was the project director for realising India’s fi rst indigenous Deep Space Network antenna at Byalalu, near Bangalore, used for communicating with India’s fi rst moon mission Chandrayaan-1.

http://www.thehindu.com