GeoEye-1
The world’s highest resolution commercial Earth-imaging satellite .41-meter resolution (simulated for GeoEye-1) 1-meter resolution .41-meter resolution (simulated for GeoEye-1) 1-meter resolution (currently available)
Watch GeoEye-1
GeoEye-1 equips with the most advanced technology ever used in a commercial remote sensing system. The satellite collects images at 0.41-meter panchromatic (black & white) and 1.65-meter multispectral resolution*. Just as important, GeoEye-1 precisely locates an object to within 3 meters of its true location on the surface of the Earth. This degree of inherent geolocation accuracy has never been achieved in any commercial imaging system. The satellite can collect up to 700,000 square kilometers of panchromatic (and up to 350,000 square kilometers of pan-sharpened multispectral) imagery per day. This capability is ideal for large scale mapping projects. GeoEye-1 also can revisit any point on Earth once every three days or sooner. Customers have a choice of ordering BASIC, GEO, ORTHO and STEREO imagery as well as imagery-derived products, including DEMs (digital elevation models) and DSMs (digital surface models), large area mosaics and feature maps.
A polar orbiting satellite, GeoEye-1 makes 12 to 13 orbits per day flying at an altitude of 684 kilometers or 425 miles with an orbital velocity of about 7.5 km/sec or 16,800 mi/hr. Its sun-synchronous orbit allows it to pass over a given area at about 10:30 a.m. local time every day. The entire satellite turns and swivels very quickly in orbit to point the camera at areas of the Earth directly below it, as well as from side to side and front to back. This agility enables it to collect much more imagery during a single pass.
Dulles, VA-based GeoEye is the prime contractor responsible for developing the entire GeoEye-1 satellite system. GeoEye-1 is designed and manufactured by General Dynamics/C4 Systems (Gilbert, AZ). ITT (Rochester, NY) is providing the electro-optical camera to General Dynamics, including the optical telescope assembly, the detectors and focal plane assembly and the high-speed digital processing electronics. MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates and Orbit Logic are upgrading elements of GeoEye’s ground segment. Receiving antennae is located at the Company’s headquarters in Dulles, VA and Barrow, AK. Kongsberg Satellite Services provide leased ground terminal services in Tromso, Norway and Troll, Antarctica.
GEOEYE-1 IMAGING & COLLECTION SPECIFICATIONS
Launch Date September 7,2008
Camera Modes
Resolution
Metric Accuracy/Geolocation
Swath Widths & Representative Area Sizes
Nominal swath width - 15.2 km / 9.44 mi at Nadir
Single-point scene - 225 sq km (15x15 km)
Contiguous large area - 15,000 sq km (300x50 km)
Contiguous 1° cell size areas - 10,000 sq km (100x100 km)
Contiguous stereo area - 6,270 sq km (224x28 km)
(Area assumes pan mode at highest line rate)
Imaging Angle Capable of imaging
Revisit Frequency at 684 km Altitude (40° Latitude Target)
Max Pan GSD (m) Off Nadir Look Angle (deg) Average Revisit (days)
0.42 10 8.3
0.50 28 2.8
0.59 35 2.1
Daily Monoscopic Area Collection Capacity
Up to 700,000 sq km/day (270,271 sq mi/day) of pan area (equivalent to about the size of Texas)
Up to 350,000 sq km/day (135,135 sq mi/day) of pan-sharpened multispectral area
(equivalent to about the size of New Mexico)
*Data reflects ground sample distance resolution at Nadir for exclusive use by the U.S. government and any foreign government that the U.S. government may designate. Imagery sold to commercial customers will be resampled to 0.5-meter resolution. GeoEye’s current operating license with NOAA does not permit the commercial sale of imagery below 0.5-meter resolution.
GEOEYE-1 TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Launch Vehicle Delta II
Launch Vehicle Manufacturer Boeing Corporation
Launch Location Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Satellite Weight 1955 kg / 4310 lbs
Satellite Storage and Downlink 1 Terabit recorder; X-band downlink (at 740 mb/sec or 150 mb/sec)
Operational Life Fully redundant 7+ year design life; fuel for 15 years
Satellite Modes of Operation • Store and forward
• Real-time image and downlink
• Direct uplink with real-time downlink
Orbital Altitude 684 kilometers / 425 miles
Orbital Velocity About 7.5 km/sec or 45,000 mi/hr
Inclination/Equator Crossing Time 98 degrees / 10:30am
Orbit type/period Sun-synchronous / 98 minutes
IKONOS
When GeoEye successfully launched the IKONOS® satellite in 1999, it made history with the world’s first one-meter commercial remote sensing satellite. Since then, GeoEye has set the standard for quickly delivering large volumes of tonally balanced, map accurate, mosaicked images for a variety of industries and applications. To date, IKONOS, derived from the Greek word for "image," has collected more than 275 million square kilometers of imagery that is readily available in our digital archive.
Moving over the ground at approximately seven kilometers per second, IKONOS collects black-and-white and multispectral data at a rate of over 2,000 square kilometers per minute. IKONOS satellite imagery provides access to any location on the Earth’s surface. Through the nearly fifteen, 98-minute journeys it makes around the globe each day, IKONOS collects vital statistics about the Earth’s ever-changing features—from fluctuations in land and water resources to the build-out of new urban areas. Commercial and governmental organizations rely on GeoEye’s high-resolution imagery to view, map, measure, monitor and manage global activities. Applications range from national security and disaster assessment to urban planning and agricultural monitoring. Drawing on the spectacular views from IKONOS, the possibilities are endless.