The U.S. government has signed a contract for exclusive rights to all pictures of Afghanistan and surrounding areas taken by Space Imaging’s Ikonos high-resolution imaging satellite.

The contract between the U.S. National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) and Thornton, Colo.-based Space Imaging is effective Oct. 7, said Joan Mears, a NIMA spokeswoman.

The contract gives NIMA, the United States’ repository of satellite imagery for military and intelligence agencies, "assured access to imagery in support of operation Enduring Freedom," Mears said. Enduring Freedom is the code name for the U.S.-led military campaign against terrorist and military targets in Afghanistan.

Under the terms of the contract, which is renewable monthly, Space Imaging will not "sell, distribute, share or provide the imagery to any other entity," Mears said. Mears could not give details about the specific areas covered by the agreement, except that it covers "all imagery related to U.S. operations."

Pat Viets, a spokewoman for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which regulates the commercial satellite imaging industry, said Oct. 12 the government has not placed any restrictions on Ikonos data collection or distribution despite the ongoing military activity in and around Afghanistan. The U.S. government has the right to impose such restrictions, which are known as shutter control.

Through its exclusive contract with Space Imaging, however, NIMA has effectively accomplished the objective of shutter control, which is to keep imagery out of potentially hostile hands to protect U.S. national security or foreign policy interests during times of crisis.

Space Imaging’s two-year-old Ikonos satellite provides black-and-white imagery capable of distinguishing objects 1 meter across or larger. The spacecraft also takes color pictures with 4-meter resolution.