Satellite Imaging Corporation is the official Value Added Reseller (VAR) of imaging and geospatial data products for:
Satellite Sensors
Learn more about each sensor and view sample satellite imagery.
Remote Sensing Resources
WorldView-3 Satellite Sensor
DigitalGlobe's next satellite WorldView-3 is in a phased development process for an advanced fourth-generation satellite scheduled to launch in mid-2014 and will offer 0.31 meter resolution panchromatic and eight-band multi-spectral imagery. WorldView-3 was recently licensed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to collect eight-band short-wave infrared (SWIR) imagery.
WorldView-3 Satellite Sensor (Copyright © DigitalGlobe)
WorldView-3 will be the first multi-payload, super-spectral, high-resolution commercial satellite operating at an expected altitude of 617 km. WorldView-3 provides 31 cm panchromatic resolution, 1.24 m multispectral resolution, 3.7 m short wave infrared resolution and 30 m CAVIS resolution. WorldView-3 has an average revisit time of <1 day and is capable of collecting up to 680,000 km2 per day.
WorldView-3 will bear a strong resemblance to WorldView-2 launched on October 8, 2009 in terms of its performance characteristics. The WorldView-3 satellite sensor will benefit from significant improvements including cost savings, risk reduction, and faster delivery for its customers.
WorldView-3 is currently being constructed by Ball Aerospace, which has designed and built all of DigitalGlobe's operational satellites. The imaging instruments, including the SWIR sensor and optics, were engineered and are being built by ITT Exelis.
New and enhanced applications include:
WorldView-3 Satellite Sensor Characteristics
| Launch Date | Mid 2014 |
| Orbit | Altitude: 617 km Type: SunSync, 1:30 pm descending Node Period: 97 min. |
| Life | Spec Mission Life; 7.25 years Estimated Service Life: 10 to 12 years |
| Spacecraft Size, Mass and Power | Size: 5.7 m (18.7 feet) tall x 2.5 m (8 feet) across, 7.1 m (23 feet) across the deployed solar arrays Mass: 2800 kilograms (6200 pounds) Power: 3.1 kW solar array, 100 Ahr battery |
| Sensor Bands | Panchromatic: 450-800 nm 8 Multispectral: (red, red edge, coastal, blue, green, yellow, near-IR1 and near-IR2) 400 nm - 1040 nm 8 SWIR: 1195 nm - 2365 nm 12 CAVIS Bands: (desert clouds, aerosol-1, aerosol-2, aerosol- 3, green, water-1, water- 2, water-3, NDVI-SWIR, cirrus, snow) 405 nm - 2245 nm |
| Sensor Resolution ( or GSD, Ground Sample Distance; off-nadir is geometric mean) | Panchromatic Nadir: 0.31 m GSD at Nadir 0.34 m at 20° Off-Nadir Multispectral Nadir: 1.24 m at Nadir, 1.38 m at 20° Off-Nadir (note that imagery must be resampled to 0.5 m for non-US Government customers) SWIR Nadir: 3.70 m at Nadir, 4.10 m at 20° Off-Nadir CAVIS Nadir: 30.00 m |
| Dynamic Range | 11-bits per pixel Pan and MS; 14-bits per pixel SWIR |
| Swath Width | At nadir: 13.1 km |
| Attitude Determination and Control | Type: 3-axis stabilized Actuators: Control Moment Gyros (CMGs) Sensors: Star trackers, precision, IRU, GPS |
| Pointing Accuracy and Knowledge | Accuracy: <500 m at image start and stop Knowledge: Supports geolocation accuracy below |
| Retargeting Agility | Time to slew 200 km: 12 seconds |
| Onboard Storage | 2199 Gb solid state with EDAC |
| Communications | Image & Ancillary: 800 & 1200 Mbps X-band Housekeeping: 4, 16, 32 or 64 kbps real-time, 524 kbps stored, X-band Command: 2 0r 64 kbps S-band |
| Max Contiguous Area Collected in a Single Pass (30° off-nadir angle) | Mono: 66.5 km x 112 km (5 strips) Stereo: 26.6 km x 112 km (2 pairs) |
| Revisit Frequency(at 40°N Latitude) | 1 m GSD: <1.0 day 4.5 days at 20° off-nadir or less |
| Geolocation Accuracy(CE90) | Predicted Performance: <3.5 m CE90 without ground control | Capacity | 680,000 km2 per day |
Satellites Currently Operated by DigitalGlobe
- WorldView-2 Satellite Sensor (0.5m Resolution) — Sample Images
- WorldView-1 Satellite Sensor (0.5m Resolution) — Sample Images
- QuickBird Satellite Sensor (0.6m Resolution) — Sample Images
WorldView-3 Satellite Imagery Gallery
Please check back for our new WorldView-3 image gallery once the satellite sensor has launched and is released by DigitalGlobe for commercial tasking.
For more information on our products and services, please contact us.