NASA, in partnership with the United States Geological
Survey, has selected two proposals for further development in
response to a solicitation to provide the government with
Landsat-type data that will continue the rich 30-year
heritage of the Landsat series of Earth-observing missions.
The companies selected for further proposal development are
Resource 21, Englewood, Colo., and DigitalGlobe, Longmont,
Colo.
NASA is required by public law to continue the gathering of
these important scientific data. NASA requires digital-image
data products that provide seasonal coverage of the global
landmass to meet the government’s needs.
“These data will enable us to assess the role of Earth’s
ecosystems in the cycling of carbon in the overall Earth
system, a matter of national scientific importance that has
profound international implications,” said Dr. Ghassem Asrar,
Associate Administrator for NASA’s Earth Science Enterprise,
Washington. “In addition, these data also can be used for a
variety of applications, such as urban planning, and
inventory and management of natural resources, such as
America’s forests.”
During the first phase of this full and open competition,
proposers will have approximately nine months to further
develop their technical and business plans, as well as a
preliminary design of their system for providing future
Landsat-quality data. During this formulation phase,
proposers will conduct activities such as trade studies and
analyses.
At the end of this formulation phase other proposals that
meet the formulation requirements and provide a business plan
and system-level preliminary design review acceptable to the
government may also be submitted to NASA for consideration.
NASA will announce a second solicitation for all qualified
proposers late in the first phase.
NASA is providing approximately $5 million in funding to each
of the two selected proposers for this formulation phase. The
agency expects to finalize the award for the Landsat Data
Continuity Mission in mid-2003, with data delivery to the
government in 2005.
NASA, together with the United States Geological Survey, is
working to guarantee that Landsat-type and -quality data are
available to the science and applications communities well
into the future, while ensuring and protecting commercial
opportunities arising from the availability of those data.
This activity is being conducted by NASA’s Earth Science
Enterprise, NASA Headquarters, Washington. NASA is dedicated
to understanding our home planet so as to improve life for
all Americans.
For more information about the Landsat Data Continuity
Mission, please see:
For information about the Landsat 7 mission, please see:
For information about NASA’s Earth Science Enterprise, please
see:
