QuickBird

DATA SHEETThe QuickBird satellite is the first to orbit Earth in DigitalGlobe’s constellation. In April of 2011, DigitalGlobe completed
an orbit raise designed to extend the mission life of the QuickBird sensor. An operational altitude of 482 km wasachieved with an expected gradual descent to 450 km by early 2013. Today, DigitalGlobe’s QuickBird satellite offers
sub-meter resolution imagery, high geolocational accuracy, and large on-board data storage. With global collection ofpanchromatic and multispectral imagery, QuickBird is designed to support a wide range of geospatial applications.

FeaturesBenefits• Sub-meter resolution
imagery• Acquire high quality
satellite imagery for map
creation, change detection,and image analysis-- 65 cm panchromatic at nadir-- 2.62 m multispectral at nadir• High geolocational accuracy-- Stable platform for precise
location measurement• Fast large area collection-- 18.0 km width imaging swath• High image quality-- Off-axis unobscured design ofQuickBird’s telescope - Large
field-of-view-- High contrast (MTF)-- High signal to noise ratio• Geolocate features tocreate maps in remoteareas without the use ofground control points• Collect a greater supplyof frequently updated
global imagery products• Extend the range ofsuitable imaging collection
targets and enhance
image interpretability• Large on-board data storage-- 128 gigabits on-board image
storage capacity

QuickBird clean room pre-launch preparations.
The first of DigitalGlobe’s state-of-the-art highresolution commercial imagery satellites.

www.digitalglobe.com

Corporate (U.S.) 303.684.4561 or 800.496.1225 | London +44.20.8899.6801 | Singapore +65.6389.4851

QuickBird

DATA SHEET

Design and Specifications

Collection Scenarios

Launch Information

Date: October 18, 2001
Launch Vehicle: Delta II
Launch Site: SLC-2W, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

Mission Life

Extended through early 2014

Spacecraft Size2400 lbs, 3.04 m (10 ft) in length

Orbit

Sensor Resolutionand Spectral Bandwidth(at nadir)

482 km Altitude

Altitude 482 km

Altitude 450 km

Type: Sun-synchronous,
10:00 am descending node
Period: 94.2 min.

93.6 minPanchromatic:
65 cm GSD at nadirBlack & White: 405 - 1053 nm

Panchromatic
61 cm GSD at nadir

Multispectral:
2.62 m GSD at nadirBlue:
430 - 545 nm
Green:466 - 620 nm
Red:590 - 710 nm
Near-IR: 715 - 918 nm

Multispectral
2.44 m GSD at nadir

LONG STRIP/LARGE AREA COLLECT
MULTIPLE POINT
TARGETS18.0 km18.0 km
360 km18.0 kmDynamic Range

11-bits per pixel

Swath Width

Nominal Swath Width:18.0 km at nadir

Attitude Determination
and Control

Type: 3-axis StabilizedStar tracker/IRU/reaction wheels, GPS

Retargeting Agility

Time to slew 200 km: 37 sec

Onboard Storage

128 Gb capacity

Communications

Payload Data: 320 Mbps X-band
Housekeeping: X-band from 4,16 and 256 Kbps, 2 Kbps S-band uplinkRevisit Frequency(at 40°N Latitude)

2.5 days at 1 m GSD or less
5.6 days at 20° off-nadir or less

Metric Accuracy

23 m CE90, 17 m LE90 (without ground control)

Capacity

200,000 km2 per day

Nominal Swath Width:
16.8 km at nadir

38 sec450 km Altitude

LONG STRIP/LARGE AREA COLLECT

2.4 days at 1 m GSD or less
5.9 days at 20° off-nadir or less

MULTIPLE POINT
TARGETS
16.8 km16.8 km
360 km16.8 kmSensor Bands
Panchromatic
Multispectral

All imagery complies with U.S. regulation.

www.digitalglobe.com

DS-QB Rev 6/12

Corporate (U.S.) 303.684.4561 or 800.496.1225 | London +44.20.8899.6801 | Singapore +65.6389.4851