DigitalGlobe Activates Fourth Remote Ground Terminal

[Satellite TODAY 09-05-11] Earth imagery provider DigitalGlobe has activated its fourth new remote ground terminal (RGT) this year and had completed the first phase of its RGT expansion initiative on-plan and on-schedule, the company announced Sept. 2.

   RGTs are used to download imagery data that has been captured by DigitalGlobe’s satellite constellation. As RGTs are added, satellites come into RGT range more often, allowing data to be downloaded more frequently. The initiative, which began in 2010, calls for the construction and activation of seven new RGTs by mid-2012. The fourth activation brings the company’s total number of RGTs to eight.

   “Once the expansion is complete, we will have added as much total capacity and refresh capability as if we had launched an entirely new satellite, but at a fraction of the cost and complexity. This will allow us to substantially increase the frequency and speed at which we can deliver refreshed imagery to our customers, and from a larger number of regions worldwide,” DigitalGlobe Executive Vice President and CTO Walter Scott said in a statement.