Longmont-based DigitalGlobe has won a contract potentially worth $3.55 billion over 10 years from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to provide high-resolution images of Earth.
GeoEye of Dulles, Va. — DigitalGlobe’s only competitor in the commercial high-resolution satellite-image industry — also received a similar contract valued at $3.8 billion.
The agreements will meet the needs of the intelligence community and the Department of Defense and will assist in warfare, crisis support and humanitarian efforts, the NGA said.
The contract also may mean more business for Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. The Boulder company has built three high-resolution imaging satellites for DigitalGlobe: Quickbird in 2001, Worldview-1 in 2007 and Worldview-2 in 2009.
Work will begin “immediately” on the Worldview-3 satellite with a launch date of 2014, said DigitalGlobe chief financial officer Yancey Spruill.
Ball would not comment on whether a contract for Worldview-3 is imminent, but spokeswoman Roz Brown said that “considering our long history with DigitalGlobe . . . I think you can anticipate that we will be building WV-3.”
DigitalGlobe chief executive Jill Smith said the contract includes a service agreement of $2.8 billion for satellite images and $750 million for infrastructure improvements and other products.
DigitalGlobe will receive $250 million annually in the first four years and $300 million annually in the last six years, Smith said.
Ann Schrader: 303-954-1967 or aschrader@denverpost.com
