ViaSat [VSAT], a Carlsbad, Calif.-based satellite equipment supplier, won a contract from DigitalGlobe of Longmont, Colo., to provide two 5.4- meter X-Band remote sensing satellite ground terminals for the next generation WorldView commercial remote sensing satellite system.

The system is being developed specifically to support the DigitalGlobe NextView contract awarded by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (formerly called the National Imagery and Mapping Agency). The WorldView satellite system is designed to provide image resolution unparalleled in the commercial remote sensing industry.

Each ViaSat 5.4-meter ground terminal has the ability to receive two high-speed digital data streams simultaneously, and it includes the integration and test of the 400 Mbit digital data receivers furnished to ViaSat by DigitalGlobe. Each system includes a protective radome assembly along with installation services in Norway and Alaska. An option exists for a third system to be installed in Pennsylvania.