VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Aug. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT] Commercial Launch Services (LMCLS) has successfully launched the WorldView-3 commercial remote sensing spacecraft. An Atlas V 401 blasted off at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time from Space Launch Complex 3 East, placing WorldView-3 in orbit for customer DigitalGlobe and marking the 118^th consecutive successful Atlas launch to date.

WorldView-3 is the first multi-payload, super-spectral, high-resolution commercial satellite for earth observations and advanced geospatial solutions. Operating at an expected altitude of 617 km, WorldView-3 will have an average revisit time of less than one day and will be capable of collecting up to 680,000 square kilometers of imagery per day, further enhancing DigitalGlobe's capacity for rapid and reliable collection.

The range of customer applications enabled by the DigitalGlobe constellation is expanded by WorldView-3's ability to sense both the visible spectrum and deeper into the infrared spectrum. Its data-rich imagery will enable customers to search for new sources of minerals and fuels, manage forests and farms, and accelerate DigitalGlobe's exploitation of Geospatial Big Data™ – a living digital inventory of the surface of the earth.

"We began this journey several years ago with our client DigitalGlobe, with the single focus of achieving Mission Success coupled with date-certain revenues for WorldView-3," said Robert Cleave, president of LMCLS.  "As the prime contractor for this launch, LMCLS worked very closely with our subcontractor, United Launch Alliance, as well as DigitalGlobe, to ensure a successful launch within the originally contracted launch window."

"Our customers value the quality and reliability that the Atlas V, the best launcher in the business, has delivered time and time again," continued Cleave. "We look forward to continuing our partnership with DigitalGlobe with the launch of WorldView-4 in 2016."

LMCLS, a business unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation, provides Atlas V launch services to all commercial and international satellite customers worldwide, and also offers Athena launch services for small satellites and multi-payload RideShare missions. LMCLS is responsible for contracts, licensing, marketing, sales and mission management for Atlas and Athena missions. Under subcontract to LMCLS, United Launch Alliance provides Atlas launch vehicles and launch support services.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 113,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2013 were $45.4 billion.

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Dee Valleras, 215-497-4185; dee.valleras@lmco.com

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SOURCE Lockheed Martin