For the exercise, Vexcel partnered with Space Imaging (Thornton, CO) to provide a 3.6-meter transportable antenna and front-end radio frequency (RF) hardware. Vexcel provided the data capture system, data catalog and archive system, and the processing systems. Additionally, Vexcel negotiated the agreements between all parties involved, including downlink agreements with the data providers.
Over the course of a week, Vexcel successfully downlinked, processed, and catalogued Radarsat-1, Spot-4, and ERS-2 data. A key requirement was for the equipment to be capable of ingesting raw satellite data and processing it into a usable image within two hours of data acquisition by the satellite. Vexcel's system easily met this requirement and a follow-up demonstration for a next level of military staff is planned for this fall in Ottawa, Canada.
"The exercise proved to be very successful," said Darren Simpson, Warrant Officer for the JSST. "Vexcel's hardware and software was certainly a key factor in making it a total success. I was very impressed with how user-friendly the software seems to be. I look forward to working with Vexcel in November for the Ottawa exercise."
Source: Vexcel Corporation, August 29, 2003