MANASSAS, Va., 23 Oct. 2007. Two BAE Systems RAD750 radiation-hardened single-board computers are managing the command and control functions onboard the WorldView-1 satellite, launched aboard a Delta II rocket.

WorldView-1 was built by Ball Aerospace and is owned and operated by DigitalGlobe in Colorado. It is part of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's NextView program, which will provide high-resolution images of Earth. NextView is a new generation of imaging satellites capable of collecting geospatial intelligence in support of national security.

The first satellite in the NextView program, WorldView-1 will collect, store, and downlink more frequently updated imagery than any other commercial imaging satellite in orbit.

The two RAD750 computers were delivered to Ball Aerospace of Boulder, Colo., builder of WorldView-1. WorldView-1 is the 10th satellite now operational in space with RAD750s in control.

"Within the next two years, more than 150 RAD750s will be launched into space on a variety of civil, commercial, and DoD satellites," says Vic Scuderi, business area manager for space products at BAE Systems in Manassas, Va. "WorldView-1 is an important platform for delivering more real-time data to help warfighters make key decisions on the ground, in the air, or on the seas."

The RAD750 is a licensed radiation-hardened version of the IBM PowerPC 750.