WorldView-1 is now fully commissed, meets all its requirements, and is delivering imagery to the National Geospatial- Intelligence Agency (NGA) as part of the NextView program. DigitalGlobe will begin taking orders for WorldView-1 imagery from its global resellers, partners and customers on 3rd January 2008.

China has launched a new remote sensing satellite; the "Yaogan III" from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province recently. The 2,700-kilogram satellite will be used for scientific research, land resources surveying, crop yield estimate and disaster prevention and relief. The satellite is developed by the Shanghai Academy of Space flight Technology affiliated to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Source: China View

KR Sridhara Murthi, the executive director of Antrix Corporation, has won the International Institute of Space Law's Life Time Achievement Award. The award was announced on 28 September. The Institute was founded by the International Astronautical Federation in 1960. It replaced the Permanent Committee on Space Law, which was created by IAF in 1958. The award recognises Murthi's service to the space community. Antrix is the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation. www.isceindia.com/speakers.htm

The Indian Forest Fire Response and Assessment System (INFFRAS) has been established under the Decision Support Center, (DSC), under Disaster Manage Support Programme, to facilitate forest fire management. INFFRAS integrates multi sensor satellite data with GIS data bases to address forest fire management relevant to pre, during and post fire scenarios. INFFRAS website is developed in open source environment with the capabilities of daily fire alert (day and night time) with location information, burnt area assessment, users feedback etc; inputs on fire proneness mapping, ecological damage assessment and mitigation planning. http://pib.nic.in

K Radhakrishnan, Director of National Remote Sensing Agency, India took over as Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) succeeding B N Suresh. Mr. Suresh will continue as Director of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, recently started by ISRO in Thiruvananthapuram. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com