Weekly GEOINT Community News

NASA and Hera Systems Enter Space Act Agreement

Hera Systems has entered into a Non-Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA’s Ames Research Center. Under the agreement, NASA Ames and Hera Systems will collaborate on the development of an upgraded satellite design for Hera Systems based on NASA’s existing Cost Optimized Test for Spacecraft Avionics and Technologies (COTSAT) prototype spacecraft. The agreement enables Hera Systems to use the COTSAT technology to undertake final mission integration, launch, and operation of its own 2HOPSat (2nd-Generation High Optical Performance Satellite), a low Earth orbit system designed to provide imagery of the Earth for a range of government and commercial applications.

General Dynamics Receives DARPA Contract

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded a follow-on contract to General Dynamics Mission Systems to provide classified network services, support, and infrastructure. The contract has a total potential value of $149 million over a five-year period if all options are exercised. General Dynamics will continue to deliver high-level classified network and systems development, design, and management.

U.S. Navy Awards Defense Contract to Esri and Small Business Partners

Seaport-e, the U.S. Navy’s electronic platform for acquiring support services, awarded Esri a contract for GIS services. The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract simplifies the acquisition process for the federal government by facilitating multiple task orders for customers without requiring companies to recompete. Esri collaborated with nine small business team members to participate in the contract. The small businesses are Aerial Information Systems, APEX Expert Solutions, Geographic Information Services, Lynker Technologies, Metron Incorporated, Orca Maritime, Punctuate Systems, T3W Business Solutions, and VSolvit. Each team member offers expertise complementary to Esri’s.

Tomnod Crowdsources Seal Conservation Project

According to a Quartz article, a team of conservation ecologists at the University of Minnesota is working with Tomnod to count the Weddell seal population in Antarctica. According to the article, Tomnod users are helping to scour the 300-mile Antarctic coastline—a project that would normally take years—in a fraction of the time.

Photo Credit: Tomnod