[Satellite TODAY 09-02-10] Satellite imagery provider DigitalGlobe has awarded $301 million in development contracts for the WorldView-3 satellite to Ball Aerospace & Technologies and ITT Corp., DigitalGlobe announced Sept. 1.
    Ball Aerospace will build the satellite based on its BCP 5000 spacecraft bus. DigitalGlobe will pay Ball up to $180.6 million if the satellite is delivered on schedule.
    DigitalGlobe also contracted ITT Corp. to construct the satellite’s imaging system. The deal is worth up to $120.6 million. The ITT imaging system will be capable of capturing 8-band multispectral high-resolution imagery, allowing DigitalGlobe to meet the requirements of its 10-year, $3.55-billion contract to provide imagery and services to the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, issued in August.
    “This is the absolute right time for development of our third next-generation satellite, which will satisfy growing demand from our government and commercial customers alike. WorldView-3 will greatly increase our already industry-leading collection capacity while enabling us to meet the increased market demand for advanced geospatial data,” DigitalGlobe CEO and Chairwoman Jill Smith said in a statement.
    The WorldView-3 satellite is scheduled for launch in 2014. Ball and ITT built the three DigitalGlobe satellites currently in orbit.