EDS Sells Software To Rocket ScientistsEDS Sells Software To Rocket Scientists

EDS said Wednesday it has closed a deal to provide design and engineering software to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Under the deal, terms of which were not disclosed, EDS will supply the laboratory with its Unigraphics NX and I-deas CAD/CAM applications and related support systems.

Unigraphics NX features a number of collaboration tools that let engineers share design information across workgroups. I-deas is a graphics tool that lets users create sophisticated digital blueprints and design renderings. In December, German printing equipment company Heidelberg Druckmaschinen AG placed a multimillion-dollar order for 350 Unigraphics NX licenses. Unigraphics NX and I-deas are sold through EDS's product life-cycle management group, which accounts for less than 4% of the company's total revenue.

The Jet Propulsion Lab, which is managed by the California Institute of Technology and conducts robotic exploration of the galaxy, says it's implementing the software as part of a move to consolidate the number of CAD/CAM applications it uses.