DigitalGlobe has announced US defense contractor, Raytheon as a primary supply partner for the company’s WorldView Legion constellation. According to a Raytheon press release, the company will supply, “telescopes, detectors and combined electronics to Space Systems Loral, the WorldView Legion space vehicle integrator.”
“We’re leveraging 45 years of extensive global experience in space imaging to provide DigitalGlobe with an unmatched view of the world from space,” said Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems president, Rick Yuse.
The WorldView Legion constellation will afford DigitalGlobe and their customers with imaging of global hot spots every 20 to 30 minutes throughout the day. The first of the constellation’s satellites are set to be launched in the 2020s.
“DigitalGlobe is proud to select Raytheon to develop the imaging payloads for our next-generation WorldView Legion satellite constellation,” said DigitalGlobe Founder, EVP and CTO, Dr. Walter Scott. “We have exceptional confidence in the quality, performance, and value of Raytheon’s instrument design, which will give our customers even greater insights into global events of significance and allow them to make critical decisions with confidence for many years to come.”
Prior to the announcement that Raytheon would supply support to the WorldView Legion constellation, the defense contractor had worked exclusively on government contracts. The company had for some months been exploring the possibility of diversifying into the growing commercial imagery market. With its massive production and research resource pool, Raytheon could quickly become a major player in the industry.
Image Credit: DigitalGlobe
