[3/14/07] GeoEye Inc. has reported that an anomaly to its Orbview-3 has effectively blinded the satellite’s imaging capability.

In a March 9 filing to the U.S. States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), GeoEye said that since March 4 OrbView-3 had been rendered unusable, insofar as it is "currently not engaged in imagery operations due to technical problems which are being investigated but believed to involve the camera electronics… The company continues to be in communication with and in control of OrbView-3, but it is currently not producing useable imagery.”
 
While GeoEye is consulting with satellite manufacturer Orbital Sciences Corp. and sensor manufacturer Northrop Grumman, the company added “it is not possible to say if anything can be done to restore operations [or] how long this process may take.”
 
GeoEye planned to provide OrbView-3’s customers with imagery from its IKONOS satellite where possible while the condition continues.
 
OrbView-3 was launched in June 2003 with a design life of five years. GeoEye-1, under construction to be launched later this year, is designed entirely differently by different vendors and the camera electronics components are designed with back-up capabilities. GeoEye has scheduled a March 20 investors’ call at 10 a.m. to provide an update.