The US National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) has awarded contracts potentially worth $500 million each over three years to commercial reconnaissance satellite companies Space Imaging and DigitalGlobe. Space Imaging has received an initial $120 million contract to provide images from its 1m (10ft)-resolution Ikonos satellite, while DigitalGlobe's QuickBird satellite will provide 0.6m-resolution images under a $96 million contract. Ikonos shows (left) the pyramids at Giza, with the Sphinx mid-left.
Source: Flight International