After an extensive
competitive process, MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. has
signed an Agreement in Principle to supply and launch a constellation of Earth
observation satellites and provide the ground-related infrastructure for the
RapidEye project in Germany. To realize the project, MDA and RapidEye will
work together to complete the financing, a process that is well underway. In
addition RapidEye and MDA, (together with its subsidiaries RADARSAT
International of Richmond, B.C. and EarthSat of Rockville, Maryland),
announced their intention to cooperate closely in their marketing and product
development efforts.
The supply project is valued at approximately $100 million (U.S.).
RapidEye AG of Munich is planning to operate this multi-satellite
constellation and related ground infrastructure to deliver agricultural land
information products and services such as crop monitoring and mapping, yield
prediction, and natural disaster assessment. Insurance and food companies,
farmers, government and other agencies and institutions throughout the world
will regularly receive up-to-date, customized products and services of the
highest quality. In addition RapidEye will offer unique and highly competitive
products – e.g. change detection services or high quality ortho-photos and
DEM’s – to cartography customers. The medium-resolution satellites will permit
daily coverage of RapidEye’s target market areas.
On signing the agreement with the MDA Information Systems Group in
Germany today, Wolfgang Biedermann of RapidEye AG said: “We’ve selected MDA to
partner with us because of their ability to execute the prime contract.
Equally important is MDA’s experience in delivering satellite data and
information, both as products and services. We expect to benefit significantly
from MDA and its subsidiaries in our product development efforts and in
entering the North American and international markets.”
RapidEye AG, incorporated in December 1998, will offer a unique,
satellite-based geo-information service expected to start in 2005. Based on
its innovative approach, RapidEye will be in a unique position to overcome
many of the current obstacles to make geo information a useful tool for
operations managers and strategic planning in many agro-industries.
For further informationRapidEye, Satellite Based Geo-Information
Service, Wolfratshauser Str. 48, 81379 Munich, Germany, Tel.:
+49-(0)89-724 95-283, Fax: +49-(0)89-724 95-291, e-mail: info@rapideye.de,
Internet: www.rapideye.de
For further information and the transmission of
image material please contact: Dr. Manfred Krischke, Tel.: +49-89-72495-455,
Fax: +49-89-72495-291, e-mail: info@rapideye.de, internet:
http://www.rapideye.de_;_ For further information on MDA, RSI or EarthSat please
contact: Ted Schellenberg, Media Relations, MacDonald Dettwiler, Tel.:
1-604-231-2215, e-mail: teds@mda.ca
