ORBIMAGE'S OrbView-4 High-Resolution Imaging Satellite is Go for Launch
/FROM PR NEWSWIRE WASHINGTON DC 202-347-5155/
TO BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY EDITORS:
ORBIMAGE'S OrbView-4 High-Resolution Imaging Satellite is Go for Launch
-- Launch Aboard Taurus Rocket Planned for Tomorrow From
Vandenberg Air Force Base, California --
DULLES, Va., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Orbital Imaging Corporation's
(ORBIMAGE) OrbView-4 imaging satellite is scheduled to be launched on Orbital
Sciences Corporation's (NYSE: ORB) Taurus(R) rocket, on Friday, September 21,
2001. The available launch window extends from 11:49 a.m. to 12:07 p.m.
(Pacific), with a targeted launch time for the mission of 11:50 a.m. This
schedule is subject to final preparations and testing, as well as acceptable
weather conditions at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, California launch site at
the time of the mission.
A live webcast of the launch will be available at orbimage.com
beginning at 11:30 a.m. Pacific (2:30 p.m. Eastern).
"The entire ORBIMAGE team, including our dedicated employees and loyal
partners, has contributed to this momentous milestone," said Mr. Gilbert D.
Rye, ORBIMAGE's Chief Executive Officer. "The launch tomorrow is our biggest
single step to unveiling our worldwide high resolution and hyperspectral
imagery service."
On launch day, the Taurus rocket will be prepared for its mission during a
four-hour countdown procedure. Following a final launch decision, the vehicle
will ignite its first stage rocket motor, lift off and follow a pre-programmed
launch sequence controlled by its onboard flight computer. Approximately 11
and a half minutes after liftoff, Taurus will deliver the OrbView-4 spacecraft
into a Sun-synchronous orbit approximately 470 kilometers above the Earth.
In addition, as a secondary payload the Taurus rocket will carry the
QuikTOMS ozone mapping satellite that is being launched for NASA's Goddard
Space Flight Center.
About OrbView-4 Satellite Imagery:
OrbView-4 will be one of the world's first commercial satellites to
provide high-resolution imagery from space. OrbView-4's high-resolution
camera will acquire one-meter resolution panchromatic (black and white) and
four-meter resolution multispectral (color) imagery. This imagery will be
valuable to customers around the world for a wide-range of commercial,
government and consumer applications. With the ability to image virtually
anywhere in the world within three days, ORBIMAGE has established a global
distribution network to produce and deliver basic imagery as well as high-
resolution value-added products.
In addition, OrbView-4 will be the world's first commercial satellite to
collect hyperspectral imagery. Hyperspectral imagery will be useful for
classifying material types on the Earth's surface, a capability that will be
beneficial in agricultural management, mineral exploration and environmental
monitoring.
About ORBIMAGE:
ORBIMAGE is a leading global provider of Earth imagery products and
services, with a planned constellation of five digital remote sensing
satellites. The company currently operates the OrbView-1 atmospheric imaging
satellite (launched in 1995), the OrbView-2 ocean and land multispectral
imaging satellite (launched in 1997), and a worldwide integrated image
receiving, processing and distribution network. Currently under development,
ORBIMAGE's OrbView-3 satellite will offer one-meter panchromatic and four-
meter multispectral digital imagery, and is planned for launch in 2002.
ORBIMAGE is also the U.S. distributor of imagery from the Canadian RADARSAT-2
satellite.
ORBIMAGE currently offers one-meter high-resolution panchromatic imagery
of major U.S. and international urban areas through its OrbView Cities
catalog, available at orbimage.com . In addition, ORBIMAGE
distributes imagery from SPOT Image, Canada's RADARSAT-1 satellite and
Russia's SPIN-2 satellite. ORBIMAGE also offers the SeaStar Pro Fisheries
Information Service, which provides fish finding maps derived from OrbView-2
satellite imagery of the world's oceans to fishing customers worldwide.
More information about ORBIMAGE can be found at orbimage.com .
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SOURCE Orbital Imaging Corporation
/NOTE TO EDITORS: ORBIMAGE will be participating in a media conferencecall today
at 9:00 a.m. Pacific, 12:00 p.m. Eastern, in preparation for theTaurus launch of
the OrbView-4 and QuikTOMS satellites. Representatives fromOrbital, ORBIMAGE
and NASA will participate on the call and will be availableto answer media
questions.To access the call, dial 888-769-8915. The passcode is "Taurus" and
thecall leader is Barron Beneski. Journalists can view the presenters'
briefingcharts during the conference call at: orbital.com .On Friday,
September 21, video coverage of the Taurus launch will begin11:30 a.m. Pacific,
2:30 p.m. Eastern. The video and audio will be broadcastover the GE-2 satellite
on Ku band analog, transponder #11 at 85 degrees westlongitude. The downlink
frequency is 11920 megahertz vertical polarity./
/CONTACT: Mark Pastrone, Public Relations of Orbital Imaging
Corporation,+1-703-406-5481, or pastrone.mark@orbimage.com/
/Web site: orbimage.com |
