Exploring the Unknown - NASA's History Office

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The letter from NOAA’s Gregory Withee represents the first license to operate a commercial remote-sensing
satellite system granted under Title II of the Land Remote-Sensing Policy Act of 1992. The license
was granted to WorldView Imaging Corporation and subsequently transferred to EarthWatch, Inc.,
when WorldView and Ball Aerospace formed an alliance to build and operate remote-sensing satellites
and to market data from them.
Document II-46
[1] JAN 4, 1993
Mr. Walter S. Scott
President and Chief Executive Officer
WorldView Imaging Corporation
7015 Elverton Drive
Oakland, California 94611-1111
Dear Mr. Scott:
OBSERVING THE EARTH FROM SPACE
This letter constitutes a license under Title II or the Land Remote-Sensing Policy Act
of 1992, P.L. 102–555 (the Act), for WorldView Imaging Corporation (Licensee) to operate
a private remote-sensing space system. The license is valid for a period of 10 years from
the above date.
A. Approval is based on operational specifications set forth in paragraph (d)
attached to the letter of application dated July 15, 1992, and additional information provided
in the Licensee’s letter dated August 20, 1992, in response to questions 2–4 and 8.
B. This license is subject to the following terms and conditions which apply to
WorldView and any affiliate or contractor as appropriate.
1. Licensee will not change the operational characteristics described above in a
way that would result in materially different capabilities than those described
in the application information. Licensee will notify the National
Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) at least
60 days in advance of scheduled launch.
2. Licensee will operate the system in a manner that will preserve the national
security of the United States through positive control of the spacecraft including
safeguards to assure the integrity of spacecraft operations. In the event of
a national security crisis, as defined by the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary
of Commerce may, after consultation with the Secretary or Defense, require
the Licensee to limit data collection and/or distribution by the system to the
extent necessitated by the crisis. During such periods, the Licensee shall
endeavor to provide system data requested by DOD and other national security
agencies under reasonable cost terms.
[2] 3. Licensee will make available to the Government of any country (including the
United States) unenhanced data concerning the territory under the jurisdiction
of such Government as soon as such data are available and on reasonable
terms and conditions.
4. Licensee will make available unenhanced data requested by the National
Satellite Land Remote-Sensing Data Archive (the Archive) in the Department
of the Interior on reasonable cost terms as agreed by the Licensee and the
Archive. After a reasonable period of time as agreed with the Licensee, the
Archive may make these data available to the public at the cost of fulfilling
user requests.