This company will be providing the electronics that will enable a successful mission using their telescopes, detectors and other electronic equipment as part of the WorldView Legion satellite imaging constellation. The company whose expertise is being tapped is ...

SSL's rendering of WorldView satellite constellation.

Raytheon Company (NYSE:  RTN) which was recently selected by DigitalGlobe, Inc. as the next-generation WorldView Legion satellite imaging constellation payload provider. Under the contract, Raytheon will deliver the telescopes, detectors and combined electronics to Space Systems Loral, the WorldView Legion space vehicle integrator.

Raytheon's new payload doubles DigitalGlobe's capacity to capture multispectral and 30 cm imagery, while tripling to quadrupling the company's capacity to image high-demand areas. Once the WorldView Legion constellation is on orbit, DigitalGlobe's combined constellation will be able to image the most rapidly changing areas on Earth every 20 to 30 minutes, from sunup to sundown. WorldView Legion will begin launching in 2020. Raytheon's payload solution maximizes efficiencies while maintaining quality, extending mission life, delivering a larger field of view and increasing coverage area. 

"We're leveraging 45 years of extensive global experience in space imaging to provide DigitalGlobe with an unmatched view of the world from space," said Rick Yuse, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems president.  

Dr. Walter Scott, DigitalGlobe Founder, EVP and CTO added that DigitalGlobe is proud to select Raytheon to develop the imaging payloads for their next-generation WorldView Legion satellite constellation, and that they have exceptional confidence in the quality, performance and value of Raytheon's instrument design, which will give their customers even greater insights into global events of significance and allow them to make critical decisions with confidence for many years to come.