The view of the world from space just became clearer with the release of the first images from a commercial satellite that launched earlier this month from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
DigitalGlobe last week showed off the first photos taken from space by WorldView-3, the high-resolution, super-spectral imaging satellite that rode to space board an Atlas 5 rocket launched from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex-3.
The crisp images taken from approximately 380 miles high show Madrid, Spain, including seams of aircraft wings, open car doors and trucks fueling planes.
“We are beyond thrilled by the clarity and quality of the imagery that we are sharing today,” DigitalGlobe officials said in an online blog.
The firm touted WorldView-3 as the first multi-instrument, super-spectral, high-resolution commercial satellite for collecting images of locations on Earth plus advanced geospatial data.
The satellite headed to space Aug. 13, and six days later ground crews completed commissioning the satellite bus and opened the door on the main telescope to begin its observations. A few days after that, the crews completed focusing maneuvers and achieved initial operational capability on the craft.
“We are delighted that even in the early stages of calibration and commissioning, WorldView-3 is revealing new insights that will enable customers to address some of the most pressing global challenges,” said Jeff Tarr, DigitalGlobe’s CEO. “WorldView-3 performance is exceeding our expectations and is a great step forward in helping our customers make critical decisions with confidence as they save lives, resources and time.”
The released images don’t actually depict the WorldView-3 satellite’s full capability. Due to regulatory restrictions imposed by the federal government, DigitalGlobe isn’t allowed to display the 30-centimeter images (or those capable of seeing items of about 12 inches). The images the firm shared publicly are resampled to 40 centimeters (items of about 16 inches).
The Commerce Department announced earlier this year the firm could sell its highest quality commercial satellite imagery, but must wait for six months after it became operational. DigitalGlobe last week said it notified the government of plans to release those higher quality pictures as of Feb. 21.
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. built the satellite while Exelis manufactured the telescope. United Launch Alliance makes and launches Atlas 5 rockets, which are marketed by Lockheed Martin Corp.
“Highly precise images of our changing planet are important for decision makers managing Earth’s natural resources,” DigitalGlobe officials said. “With WorldView-3, DigitalGlobe can automatically distinguish different colors, textures and measure change over time.”
The images with 30-centimeter resolution will allow assessments of highway networks, including surface wear, DigitalGlobe officials noted. Additionally, individual shipping containers can easily be counted and measured, delivering vital information for monitoring economic activity and trends at various marine ports, airports, rail yards and other hubs, officials said.
DigitalGlobe also recently released a sequence of panchromatic images taken by WorldView-1 of the Atlas 5 rocket carrying WorldView-3 as it climbed away from Vandenberg.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
