Worldview-1 Satellite Sensor Launch Successful

Vandenberg Air Force Base, California - The WorldView-1 satellite launched successfully on Tuesday September 18, 2007, the satellite built for DigitalGlobe was lofted into space aboard a Delta II rocket. The satellite separated from the rocket about an hour after liftoff to reach an orbit of 496 Km or 308 above the Earth.

To view Launch of Worldview-1 on Video Copy and Paste URL:
http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/bls/missions/worldview-1/

Shortly after the launch, a DigitalGlobe ground station received a downlink signal confirming that the satellite successfully separated from its launch vehicle and had automatically initialized its onboard processors. Worldview-1 is currently undergoing a calibration and check-out period and will deliver imagery soon after. First panchromatic imagery from Worldview-1 at a resolution 0.5 at Nadir is expected to be available prior to October 18th, 2007, the six-year anniversary of the launch of QuickBird, DigitalGlobe's current satellite.

For Worldview-1 Satellite Sensor specifications Copy and Paste URL:
http://www.satimagingcorp.com/satellite-sensors/worldview-1.html

Worldview-1 is part of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's (NGA) NextView program, and was partially financed through an agreement with the NGA. The majority of the imagery captured by Worldview-1 for the NGA will also be available for distribution through DigitalGlobe's Image Library. Additionally, Worldview-1 immediately frees capacity on DigitalGlobe's QuickBird to meet the growing commercial demand for multi=spectral geospatial imagery.

WorldView-1 is expected to be in operation for about seven years, it is the first of two advanced remote sensing satellites that DigitalGlobe plans to launch. DigitalGlobe has said its sister satellite WorldView-2 will be launched late next year.

DigitalGlobe also manages the QuickBird commercial satellite launched in 2001. WorldView-1 panchromatic Image data has a resolution of 0.5 meters at Nadir what is slightly higher than QuickBird, the new probe can store more images because it has a larger onboard system.

With over a decade of experience in acquiring satellite images and airborne-sensed data, Satellite Imaging Corporation (SIC) provides top quality satellite images and other remote sensing products, geographic information system (GIS) projects, and consultancy services. We are equipped to negotiate for appropriate high resolution satellite images, as well as enhance satellite image data to create accurate, interactive mapping projects.

New WorldView-1 Satellite Images

DigitalGlobe today revealed the first images from WorldView-1, the highest resolution, most agile commercial satellite ever flown. WorldView-1 was successfully launched on September 18 from Vandenberg Air Force Base and is expected to be fully operational and delivering imagery products by the end of the year if not sooner.WorldView-1's first images include half-meter snapshots from: Houston, Texas, USA acquired October 2, 2007 Yokohama, Japan acquired October 5, 2007 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia acquired October 5, 2007

WorldView-1 is part of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's (NGA) NextView program, and was partially financed through an agreement with the NGA. The majority of the imagery captured by WorldView-1 for the NGA will also be available for distribution through DigitalGlobe's Image Library. Additionally, WorldView-1 immediately frees capacity on DigitalGlobe's QuickBird to meet the growing commercial demand for multi-spectral geospatial imagery.

Frequent revisits increase image collection opportunities, enhance change detection applications and enable accurate map updates. The satellite is capable of collecting, storing and downlinking more frequently updated global imagery products than any other commercial imaging satellite in orbit, allowing for expedited image capture, processing and delivery to customers where speed is a driving factor. WorldView-1 is equipped with state-of-the-art geo-location accuracy capability and exhibits unprecedented agility with rapid targeting and efficient in-track stereo collection.

WorldView-1 is expected to be in operation for about seven years, it is the first of two advanced remote sensing satellites that DigitalGlobe plans to launch. DigitalGlobe has said its sister satellite WorldView-2 will be launched late next year.

At Satellite Imaging Corporation (SIC), we have built our reputation on the quality and precision of the work we've delivered. From the retrieval of imaging data to the final image processing, we understand your need for impeccable accuracy and image quality. Whether your project involves mapping a city, planning a pipeline, or routing a railroad, our satellite images, digital aerial photos, 3D terrain models, and GIS projects are always delivered with above industry standards and accuracy, because we know that even the smallest inaccuracies can lead to increased project costs.

WorldView-1 Satellite Sensor Characteristics

Scheduled Launch Date	September 18, 2007
Launch Vehicle	Boeing Delta 7920 (9-strap-ons)
Launch Location	Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA
Orbit Altitude	496 Km
Orbit Inclination	sun-synchronous
Spacecraft Size, Mass & Power	3.6 meters (12 feet) tall x 2.5 meters (8 feet) across, 7.1 meters (23 feet) across the deployed solar arrays 2500 kilograms (5500 pounds) 3.2 kW solar array, 100 Ahr battery
Equator Crossing Time	10:30 AM (descending node)
Revisit Time	1.7 days at 1 meter GSD or less 5.9 days at 20° off-nadir or less (0.51 meter GSD)
Swath Width	17.6 Km at nadir
Full Scene	17.6 Km x 14 Km or 246.4 Km 2 at nadir
Orbit Time	94.6 minutes
Dynamic Range	11 bits per pixel
Resolution	0.50 meters GSD at nadir 0.55 meters GSD at 20° off-nadir (note that imagery must be re-sampled to 0.5 meters for non-US Government customers)
Sensor Bands	Panchromatic
Metric Accuracy	Accuracy: <500 meters at image start and stop Knowledge: Supports geolocation accuracy below
Geolocation Accuracy (CE 90%)	Specification of 12.2 m CE90, with predicted performance in the range of 3.0 to 7.6 meters (10 to 25 feet) CE90, excluding terrain and off-nadir effects With registration to GCPs in image: 2.0 meters (6.6 feet)
Retargeting Ability	Acceleration: 2.5 deg/s/s Rate: 4.5 deg/s Time to slew 300 kilometers: 9 seconds
Attitude Determination and Control	3-axis stabilized Actuators: Control Moment Gyros (CMGs) Sensors: Star trackers, solid state IRU, GPS
Onboard Storage	2199 gigabits solid state with EDAC
Communications	Image and Ancillary Data: 800 Mbps X-band Housekeeping: 4, 16 or 32 kbps real-time, 524 kbps stored, X-band Command: 2 or 64 kbps S-band
Max Viewing Angle / Accessible Ground Swath	60 x 110 km mono 30 x 110 km stereo

WorldView-1 Satellite Sensor

WorldView-1, DigitalGlobe's earth imaging satellite, completed a successful launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, U.S.A., at 11:35 Hrs Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on September 18th, 2007. The Delta II rocket lifted off in good weather and the WorldView-1 satellite is "currently undergoing a calibration and check-out period," according to DigitalGlobe. The first panchromatic image data should become available before October 18th, 2007.

To view a video of the WorldView-1 satellite launch, click here.

The high-capacity, panchromatic imaging system features half-meter resolution imagery. Operating at an altitude of 496 kilometers, WorldView-1 has an average revisit time of 1.7 days and is capable of collecting up to 750,000 square kilometers (290,000 square miles) per day of half-meter imagery. The satellite is also equipped with state-of-the-art geo-location capabilities and exhibits stunning agility with rapid targeting and efficient in-track stereo collection.