The European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC) is a non-profit-making organisation which is actively involved in coordinating and strengthening the Earth-observation (EO) chain and promoting the European geo-information industry.

EARSC is open to corporative and observer members with deeply interest in providing services delivering information based on observations of the Earth and its environment.

Since 1989, EARSC has provided its Members technical expertise and policy guidance. The Association maintains close links with key European Institutions, including Industry, ESA and National Space Agencies, providing a key unified voice on wider European issues.

Esri  is a worldwide supplier of Geographic Information System (GIS) software and geodatabase management applications.

Esri is headquartered inRedlands, California, USA.

[ merged in 2013 in Aerojet Rocketdyne ]

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) was a United States company that designed and produced rocket engines that use liquid propellants.

PWR was a division of Pratt & Whitney. It was a provider of high-value propulsion, power, energy and innovative system solutions used in a wide variety of government and commercial applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, missile defense systems and advanced hypersonic engines.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne was headquartered in Canoga Park, Calif., USA.

STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) is a NASA solar observation mission.

Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits around the sun that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth. This will enable stereoscopic imaging of the Sun and solar phenomena, such as coronal mass ejections.

see: STEREO Science Center

LMSAL is a department of the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center (ATC) in Palo Alto, CA, USA.

LMSAL gathers a group of scientists and engineers who design, build, and operate solar and astrophysical observing instruments. LMSAL and the Space Physics Lab comprise the ATC's Space Sciences Office.

The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (or IRIS) is a space probe, planned by NASA, to observe the Sun.

It is a NASA Small Explorer program mission to investigate the physical conditions of the solar limb, particularly the chromosphere of the Sun.

IRIS will observe how solar material moves, gathers energy, and heats up as it travels through a little-understood region in the sun's lower atmosphere. Tracking how material and energy move through this region is a crucial part of understanding the dynamics of the sun.

NASA announced on June 19, 2009 that IRIS was selected from six small explorer mission candidates^.

Nautilus-X is a multi-mission space exploration vehicle imagined by the Technology Applications Assessment Team of NASA.

The spacecraft was designed for long duration (one to twenty-four months) exo-atmospheric space journeys for a six-person crew. In order to limit the effects of microgravity on human health, the spacecraft would be equipped with a centrifuge.

Nautilus-X stands for Non-Atmospheric Universal Transport Intended for Lengthy United States Exploration.

The Space Launch System, or SLS, is a Space Shuttle-derived heavy launch vehicle being designed by NASA.

It follows the cancellation of the Constellation Program, and is to replace the retired Space Shuttle.

SpaceDev was founded in 1997.
It was merged into Sierra Nevada Corporation  in Dec. 2008.

SpaceDev acquired Integrated Space Systems (USA). For a while, SpaceDev also owned UK-based Space Innovations Limited.In August 1998 SpaceDev acquired all patents, intellectual property, test results, and documents that had been produced by the out of business American Rocket Company (AMROC).

On December 2008 Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) acquired the company SpaceDev.

see SNC.

The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is an international industry consortium of more than 400 companies, government agencies and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available interface standards for geospatial data and services, GIS data processing and data sharing.

OGC® Standards support interoperable solutions that "geo-enable" the Web, wireless and location-based services and mainstream IT. The standards empower technology developers to make complex spatial information and services accessible and useful with all kinds of applications.

OGC standards are developed in a unique consensus process supported by the OGC's industry, government and academic members to enable geoprocessing technologies to interoperate, or "plug and play". You will also find the OGC trademark associated with products that implement our standards and that have obtained the Certified OGC Compliant brand. Make sure that your geoprocessing and location services procurement and technology development programs demand OGC standards!

OGC® and OpenGIS® are registered trademarks of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). OGC is the brand name associated with the standards and documents produced by the OGC.