NASA, in partnership with the United States Geological Survey, has selected two proposals for further development in response to a solicitation to provide the government with Landsat-type data that will continue the rich 30-year heritage of the Landsat series of Earth-observing missions.

The companies selected for further proposal development are Resource 21, Englewood, Colo., and DigitalGlobe, Longmont, Colo.

NASA is required by public law to continue the gathering of these important scientific data. NASA requires digital-image data products that provide seasonal coverage of the global landmass to meet the government's needs.

"These data will enable us to assess the role of Earth's ecosystems in the cycling of carbon in the overall Earth system, a matter of national scientific importance that has profound international implications," said Dr. Ghassem Asrar, Associate Administrator for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, Washington. "In addition, these data also can be used for a variety of applications, such as urban planning, and inventory and management of natural resources, such as America's forests."

During the first phase of this full and open competition, proposers will have approximately nine months to further develop their technical and business plans, as well as a preliminary design of their system for providing future Landsat-quality data. During this formulation phase, proposers will conduct activities such as trade studies and analyses.

At the end of this formulation phase other proposals that meet the formulation requirements and provide a business plan and system-level preliminary design review acceptable to the government may also be submitted to NASA for consideration. NASA will announce a second solicitation for all qualified proposers late in the first phase.

NASA is providing approximately $5 million in funding to each of the two selected proposers for this formulation phase. The agency expects to finalize the award for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission in mid-2003, with data delivery to the government in 2005.

NASA, together with the United States Geological Survey, is working to guarantee that Landsat-type and -quality data are available to the science and applications communities well into the future, while ensuring and protecting commercial opportunities arising from the availability of those data.

This activity is being conducted by NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, NASA Headquarters, Washington. NASA is dedicated to understanding our home planet so as to improve life for all Americans.