▁felt , ▁needed ▁direct ▁super vision . ▁ ▁Short ly ▁after ▁winning ▁Cor ona , ▁I tek ▁also ▁won ▁the ▁contract ▁for ▁the ▁Air ▁Force ' s ▁satellite ▁program , ▁S AM OS . ▁S AM OS ▁originally ▁en vision ed ▁a ▁semi - real - time ▁system ▁that ▁downloaded ▁imag ery ▁via ▁an ▁on board ▁sc anner , ▁but ▁later ▁expanded ▁to ▁en vision ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁different ▁imag ing ▁systems ▁based ▁on ▁a ▁single ▁air frame . ▁One ▁of ▁these , ▁E - 5 , ▁was ▁a ▁project ▁to ▁provide ▁low - resol ution ▁wide - area ▁imag ery ▁for ▁mapping ▁purposes , ▁which ▁the ▁Air ▁Force ▁needed ▁to ▁plan ▁ing ress ▁routes ▁for ▁bom bers ▁during ▁war . ▁The ▁S AM OS ▁project ▁was ▁eventually ▁abandoned , ▁leaving ▁several ▁of ▁the ▁E - 5 ▁cam eras ▁in ▁storage ▁at ▁a ▁Lock he ed ▁facility . ▁ ▁D ivers ification ▁efforts ▁After ▁winning ▁the ▁C OR ON A ▁contract , ▁I tek ▁quickly ▁grew ▁from ▁the ▁executive ▁staff ▁to ▁a ▁company ▁employ ing ▁over ▁a ▁hundred ▁scient ists , ▁engine ers , ▁and ▁techn icians . ▁After ▁only ▁a ▁year ▁its ▁reven ues ▁were ▁in ▁the ▁millions , ▁and ▁the ▁company ▁started ▁the ▁process ▁of ▁raising ▁an ▁initial ▁public ▁offering . ▁In ▁public ▁the ▁company ▁stated ▁that ▁while ▁their ▁work ▁was ▁class ified , ▁they ▁were ▁working ▁in ▁the ▁field ▁of ▁" information ▁management " ▁( some ▁writers ▁have ▁commented ▁that ▁this ▁may ▁be ▁the ▁first ▁use ▁of ▁the ▁term ).