[Satellite Today – 4-23-08] NASA has awarded General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems Inc. a $116.3 million contract to build the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) spacecraft, NASA announced April 22.
    General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems will be responsible for the design and fabrication of the LDCM spacecraft bus, integration of the government furnished instruments, satellite-level testing, on-orbit satellite check-out and on-orbit engineering support.
    The satellite will continue the series of measurements begun with the Landsat-1 mission, providing data and imagery for use in agriculture, education, business, science and government. The LDCM spacecraft will include evolutionary advances in technology and performance, providing 60 percent more coverage data per day than the current Landsat observatory.
    The mission is a joint program conducted with NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey.