EarthWatch Incorporated today announced the loss of the QuickBird 1 remote sensing satellite. The announcement follows a launch failure of the 1-meter resolution commercial imaging satellite on November 20 (GMT), 2000 from Plesetsk, Russia. Initial indications are that the QuickBird 1 failed to achieve its proper orbit. EarthWatch President and Chief Executive Officer, Herb Satterlee, stated, "The loss of QuickBird 1 is a great disappointment not just to EarthWatch, but to customers worldwide who are eager to receive high-resolution commercial imagery from EarthWatch. EarthWatch is currently reviewing a range of options to determine what is in the best interest of their stakeholders. We will provide more information when it becomes available."
 
About EarthWatch Incorporated
 
EarthWatch is a commercial imagery and information content provider located in Longmont, Colorado. The company offers imagery through the digitalglobe.com on-line imagery store, an Internet-based global archive of geographic information. It is also launching its own constellation of earth imaging satellites, allowing the company to provide high-resolution panchromatic and multispectral imagery to commercial businesses and governments worldwide.