GeoEye-1 Shipped to Vandenberg

General Dynamics News Release

2008 July 10

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GILBERT, Ariz – General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems announced today that it has shipped GeoEye-1, a next-generation earth imaging satellite, to its launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The satellite departed from the General Dynamics space systems factory in Gilbert, Ariz., early on Wednesday, July 9, and arrived at Vandenberg late that same day. Launch is scheduled for August 22, 2008.

“GeoEye-1 is ready for service and demonstrates a level of maturity that can be efficiently repeated in the production of future imaging satellites,” said Dave Shingledecker, vice president and general manager of integrated space systems for General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems. “This is the culmination of a close collaboration between our General Dynamics team and GeoEye, and we look forward to its launch.”

Under contract to Dulles, Va.-based GeoEye, Inc., General Dynamics was responsible for the mission-system engineering, design and manufacture of the spacecraft; procurement and integration of the camera and optical telescope assembly; and environmental testing of the integrated satellite. General Dynamics also will conduct launch processing and on-orbit checkout.

GeoEye-1 is part of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) NextView program. The NextView program is designed to ensure that the NGA has access to commercial imagery in support of its mission to provide timely, relevant and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security.

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, operates and maintains mission systems for defense, space, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, homeland security and homeland defense customers. Headquartered in Fairfax, Va., the company specializes in space and ground systems; imagery processing; mission payloads; space vehicles; maritime subsurface, surface and airborne mission systems; and tasking, collection, processing, exploitation and dissemination programs for national intelligence. More information is available on the Internet at www.gd-ais.com.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 84,000 people worldwide and reported 2007 revenues of $27.2 billion. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about the company is available on the Internet at www.generaldynamics.com.

This story was originally titled "General Dynamics Ships GeoEye-1 Satellite to Launch Site".

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