Space Imaging Latin America Established in Ecuador; First High-Resolution Imagery for South America.

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 24, 1999--

Space Imaging announced today that it has created a wholly owned subsidiary, Space Imaging Latin America, to receive and process satellite imagery collected over the Latin American regions by the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites.

A ground receiving station owned by the Centro de Levantamientos Integrados de Recursos Naturales por Sensores Remotos ("CLIRSEN") in Cotopaxi, Ecuador, has begun receiving IRS imagery. Imagery will be commercially available from Space Imaging at the end of August.

With the activation of Space Imaging Latin America and the Ecuador facility, Space Imaging introduces to its customers the first high-resolution imagery collection capability in South America. The continent has previously relied almost exclusively on significantly lower resolution imagery from U.S. Landsat satellites. Using this facility, Space Imaging will be able to sell current imagery collected by the IRS satellites over Northwestern South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Space Imaging will sell these products under its CARTERRA(TM) brand name to customers worldwide.

Once Space Imaging Latin America's ground station receives image data from the IRS satellites, the data will be transferred to Space Imaging's operations center in Norman, Okla., where it will be processed and made available to customers through the company's customer service center. Space Imaging also sells IRS imagery collected over North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.

The Ecuador ground station is located about 50 miles from Quito, Ecuador's capital.

Space Imaging has exclusive marketing and distribution rights to imagery collected by the IRS satellites outside of India. The IRS-1C and -1D satellites, launched from India in December 1995 and September 1997, respectively, are identical to one another. Both satellites pass over the Ecuador ground station several times daily. Each satellite is equipped with three sensors that collect five-meter resolution panchromatic (black-and-white), 20-meter resolution multispectral (color), and 180-meter resolution multispectral wide-area images.

IRS imagery is used in a variety of markets that need to monitor and measure changes to the Earth's natural and cultural features, including local and regional government, environment, mineral exploration, agriculture and mapping. Types of applications that can use IRS imagery include urban planning, road and highway construction, disaster relief and emergency preparedness, network planning, environmental monitoring, oil and gas exploration, crop monitoring and mapping.

Space Imaging is a leading supplier of space imagery, aerial photography, mapping services, and derivative geographic information products and services. The company collects and/or distributes Earth imagery from the Indian Remote Sensing satellites, the U.S. Landsat, Canada's RADARSAT and the European Space Agency's ERS satellites. In addition, Space Imaging distributes imagery from the Japanese JERS imaging system archive. The company also delivers aerial-derived imagery products collected by its own Digital Airborne Imaging System (DAIS-1(TM)). Space Imaging will launch the world's first one-meter resolution, commercial imaging satellite, IKONOS, this fall.

Space Imaging's Customer Service Center can be reached by calling 301-552-0537 or 800-232-9037.