The Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), a prominent subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications and the foremost provider of high-power commercial satellites in the world, today announced here that the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Rapid Spacecraft Development Office (RSDO) recently awarded SS/L with a delivery order for a Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) Spacecraft Accommodation Study. It has been stated in this respect, that the Landsat Program is a progression of Earth-observing satellite missions that are jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The chief responsibility of the satellites is to provide with images that are widely used in agriculture, geology, forestry, regional planning, education, mapping, and global change research. The LDCM, as per the information goes, will make it a reality that 30 years of image records from previous Landsat satellites will be preserved into the next decade.

The Loral Space & Communications is a satellite communications company. The company excels in owning and operating a fleet of telecommunications satellites, that are used to broadcast video entertainment programming, distribute broadband data, and provide access to Internet services and other value-added communications services. Loral is also acclaimed as an internationally renowned leader especially in the designing and manufacturing of satellites and satellite systems. Its designed and manufactured satellites and satellite systems are being used for commercial and government applications that include direct-to-home television, broadband communications, wireless telephony, weather monitoring and air traffic management.

  The SS/L, in addition, will make a formal proposal to NASA on the subject of a spacecraft design based on the company's flexible and space-proven 1300-bus platform with a definite intention to meet LDCM implementation and mission requirements. In the total duration of the project for four months at a stretch, the SS/L will be engaged in the thorough study of how to integrate the LDCM Operational Land Imager (OLI) instrument, which shall be followed by the inclusion of the plans for mission integration, testing and other programmatic issues.

While being asked by the Press & Media John Celli, the President and Chief Operating Officer of Space Systems/Loral said, "We are very pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate how the 1300 satellite bus and our other space-proven building blocks can be configured to assure the success of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission. Our commercial satellite customers demand fixed budgets and schedules as well as unquestionable service reliability. Our experience in meeting these stringent requirements positions us very well for meeting the needs of U.S. government programs."