SpaceDev subsidiary Starsys has been awarded a follow-on order for the solar array rotational drive assemblies and drive control electronics for the DigitalGlobe WorldView-2 satellite program from Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation. An authorization to proceed of $1.25 million has been put in place to initiate the contract.
This award further expands Starsys' role on the WorldView platform: In early 2006, Starsys delivered the flight solar array and rotational drive and control electronics for the WorldView-1 mission.
The Starsys Quiet Array Drive (QuAD) Micro-Stepping motion control technology will be utilized on the Ball Aerospace BCP 2000 platform to articulate each of the two solar arrays and align them with the sun.
Unlike traditional stepper motor solar array drives, the Starsys drive control electronics QuAD technology provides low disturbance actuation, allowing spacecraft images to be captured at the same time that the solar arrays are being pointed. The WorldView-2 spacecraft will provide images with 0.5-meter resolution.
"Ball's selection of our hardware to support the next WorldView satellite reflects their confidence in the enabling technology provided by Starsys' solar array and silent drive products," said Mark Sirangelo, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of SpaceDev. "We are proud to be providing a critical subsystem for this state of the art commercial imaging spacecraft."
The WorldView-2 satellite is scheduled to be ready for launch in late 2008 and is expected to expand the capabilities of DigitalGlobe's world imaging portfolio.
