US firm to sell Indian remote sensing data worldwide

BANGALORE: American firm Space Imaging has signed up with ISRO to market and sell data from its latest remote sensing satellite Resourcesat-1 launched last year, and to-be-launched Cartosat-1, worldwide.
On Tuesday Antrix Corporation of India''s Department of Space (DOS) and Space Imaging-USA, signed an agreement, extending the sales and marketing agreement for the Indian remote sensing satellite data between the two agencies.
K R Sridhara Murthi, Executive Director, Antrix and Robert Dalal, CEO of Space Imaging signed the agreement in the presence of ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair. "We expect to earn around 1.5 to 2 million $ from this agreement," Nair said on Wednesday.
"This agreement gives Space Imaging rights to market and sell data from ISRO''s latest remote sensing satellite, Resourcesat-1, and the forthcoming Cartosat-1, worldwide. The National Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad, under DOS acquires and markets the data in India," said an ISRO release. The success of the satellite system is marked by the fact that in the last eight years, 19 ground stations have been installed to access IRS-1C and IRS-1D.
Nair said: "ISRO, Antrix and Space Imaging have worked as partners to fulfill India''s vision of a global commercial Earth-observation programme and the Indian Remote Sensing satellite system has emerged as one of the most high-profile programs in the commercial imaging industry."
"The continuation of our long-standing marketing relationship with Antrix is an important step in our business plan. Combined with its successful launch and Space Imaging''s worldwide user base, we are certain to gain maximum exposure of Resourcesat-1 imagery across many global markets," said Robert Dlal, CEO of Space Imaging.
Resourcesat-1, the most advanced remote sensing satellite built by ISRO so far, was launched in October 2003 by India''s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Cartosat-1 is scheduled for launch this year.