Under the terms of the contract, OrbImage will provide imagery and related products to help NIMA address its requirements and those of its customers in the national security community for timely, high-resolution imagery from space for surveillance, reconnaissance and mapping applications.

The terms of OrbImage�s contract allow NIMA to order up to $100 million in imagery and include a significant guaranteed minimum pre-launch imagery buy. The contract also funds several enhancements to OrbImage's ground infrastructure to ensure compliance with NIMA�s requirements for timely satellite tasking, image collecting and processing, and disseminating the end product to customers.

"We are delighted that NIMA has selected us for this important contract to provide high-resolution satellite imagery to the U.S. Government," said Mr. Gilbert D. Rye, President and Chief Operating Officer of OrbImage. "This agreement, added to our growing set of other pre-launch contracts, is further market validation of our business plan to provide affordable and timely imagery to a wide variety of customers around the world."

The contract with NIMA establishes the U.S. Government as a significant customer for certain types of OrbImage services and lays the foundation for a long-term commercial/government partnership. The U.S. Government is increasingly moving toward commercial outsourcing of its satellite imagery needs, extending to products such as digital terrain models, precision maps and point position data bases. This contract will make such products more available and affordable for a wide variety of government users.

Ms. Laura Robinson, Program Manager of NIMA�s Commercial Imagery Program, said, "NIMA is excited to have a contract in place expressing the commitment of the U.S. Government to use commercial high-resolution imagery as an integral element in meeting current and future imagery requirements. Our plans call for expanding this relationship so that in the future, U.S. Government customers can order imagery from commercial and Government systems in a seamless manner."

Mr. Rye continued his remarks, adding, "This contract is a significant first step forward in achieving our mutual objective of improving the robustness, flexibility and affordability of imagery services to NIMA and its customers. We believe that NIMA is on the proper course in outsourcing to commercial imagery providers many of the routine requirements for satellite imagery and derived products, allowing the U.S. Government to better focus its resources on Government-unique applications and systems. We applaud NIMA for this initial commitment and look forward to the next steps on the path of having the U.S. Government as one of our largest imagery customers."

High-resolution satellite imagery services will be provided next year with the planned launch of OrbImage�s OrbView-3 satellite, followed in 2000 by OrbImage�s second high-resolution satellite, OrbView-4. Both satellites will collect global panchromatic and multispectral imagery of the Earth�s surface on a daily basis. OrbView-4 will also include the first high-resolution hyperspectral imaging instrument under a separate contract with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.

OrbView-2 Sends First Test Images

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