Orbimage Inc.'s surprise win of a major U.S. government contract for high-resolution satellite imagery assures the company a solid business base for the next decade while casting doubt on the future of the losing bidder, commercial remote sensing pioneer Space Imaging, according to industry officials and observers. The $500 million contract award from the U.S. National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) caps a major turnaround for Dulles, Va.-based Orbimage, which emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy at the beginning of 2004, said Matt O'Connell, Orbimage's chairman and chief executive officer. "There's been an almost 180 degree change in the company's circumstances," he said. The award of the NextView contract, announced by the NGA Sept. 30, enables Orbimage to begin work on a highly capable imaging satellite that is scheduled for launch in early 2007. The contract runs through 2008, after which time Orbimage will compete for further business with the NGA, which buys commercial imagery on behalf of U.S. military and intelligence agencies.
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机译：据商业遥感先驱Space Imaging称，Orbimage Inc.意外地获得了美国政府的一项主要高分辨率卫星图像合同，这确保了该公司未来十年的坚实业务基础，同时也对竞标失败者的未来产生了怀疑。行业官员和观察员。 Orbimage董事长兼首席执行官Matt O'Connell表示，美国国家地理空间情报局（NGA）授予的价值5亿美元的合同，为总部位于弗吉尼亚州杜勒斯的Orbimage带来了重大转机，该公司于2004年初从第11章破产案中脱颖而出。主管人员。他说：“公司的情况几乎发生了180度变化。” NGA 9月30日宣布获得NextView合同，使Orbimage可以开始生产计划于2007年初发射的高性能成像卫星。该合同持续到2008年，之后Orbimage将竞争进一步的业务与NGA合作，后者代表美国军事和情报机构购买商业图像。
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