EDO Corp. subsidiary Barnes Engineering Company has announced a $10.5 million contract with Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG of Munich for the production of earth and sun sensors for the Bermuda-registered Globalstar Telecommunications Ltd.'s mobile satellite telecommunications project.

San Jose-based Globalstar Telecommunications Ltd., is the general partner of Globalstar L.P., founded by Loral Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. to design, construct and operate a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite telecommunications system known as the globalstar system.

The limited partnership is a consortium of companies.

Daimler-Benz is a principal contractor to Globalstar Telecommunications and part of the international consortium while EDO is a supplier of devices to be used in the globalstar system.

Barnes' sensors will provide data to the globalstar system's 48 LEOs.

"We are very pleased to add Daimler-Benz to the growing list of customers in our space business. The capture of this programme will increase our share in the earth sensor market while providing us the opportunity to introduce our new sun sensor on Globalstar, a leading edge programme,'' EDO Corp. president and CEO Mr. Frank Fariello, said on Monday.

EDO, a designer and manufacturer of advanced electric, acoustic, aerodynamic and hydrodynamic equipment for military applications and marine and aviation markets, has been pursuing the applications of its defence related technologies to civilian and commercial markets.

The globalstar system will offer telephone and other digital telecommunications services to areas currently under served or not served by existing wire line and cellular communications systems.

The first of the Globalstar satellites will be launched in 1997 with service commencing in 1998.

Barnes is a leading supplier of sensors for spacecraft attitude control and commercial electro-optical instrumentation.