DigitalGlobe, Inc. has announced that it signed a Direct Access Program (DAP) contract with the Australian Department of Defence. DigitalGlobe is a global leading provider of commercial high-resolution Earth observation and advanced geospatial solutions, used in defence, intelligence, civil agencies, environmental marketing and other industries. The new contract will grant the Australian government access to DigitalGlobe's commercial satellite imaging constellation that will support defence and intelligence missions. The contract goes into effect in the beginning of January, 2018, and is expected to deliver $83 million USD in revenue to DigitalGlobe over the course of four years.
This new deal with enable the Australian Department of Defence to download imagery in real time to its its ground station from all five DigitalGlobe satellites—including WorldView-4, launched in November 2016, and WorldView-3, launched in August 2014, which are the world’s two highest-resolution commercial satellites. Australia's participation in the DAP program will also significantly expand DigitalGlobe's global footprint.
According to Dan Jablonsky, SVP and General Manager of Defense & Intelligence at DigitalGlobe, “DigitalGlobe is a trusted partner to the Australian Department of Defence. We currently provide timely, high-resolution imagery to Australia via our web-based SecureWatch service. This agreement provides enhanced, real-time access to DigitalGlobe’s industry-leading satellite constellation to enable decision-making with confidence. We look forward to working closely with Australia as it further integrates high-quality commercial satellite imaging capabilities into its military operations, border protection and humanitarian missions.”
The multi-satellite ground system for the Direct Access Program will be provided by MDA, DigitalGlobe's long-standing partner. The system will support tasking, reception and precision processing of imagery from the satellite constellation. Ground antenna systems that will enable direct tasking and downlink capabilities will be provided by VIASAT.
