2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—

Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation

NASA • NGA • NOAA • USDA • USGS

Circular 1455

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
Cover. Image of Landsat 8 satellite over North America. Source: AGI’s System Tool Kit.

Facing page. In shallow waters surrounding the Tyuleniy Archipelago in the Caspian Sea, chunks of ice were the artists. 

The 3-meter-deep water makes the dark green vegetation on the sea bottom visible. The lines scratched in that vegetation 

were caused by ice chunks, pushed upward and downward by wind and currents, scouring the sea floor.
2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing 

Satellite Compendium

By Jon B. Christopherson, Shankar N. Ramaseri Chandra, and Joel Q. Quanbeck

Circular 1455

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
JACIE

U.S. Department of the Interior

DAVID BERNHARDT, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

James F. Reilly II, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2019

For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living 

resources, natural hazards, and the environment—visit https://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS.

For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, 

visit https://store.usgs.gov.

Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the 

U.S. Government.

Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials 

as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.

Suggested citation:

Christopherson, J.B., Ramaseri Chandra, S.N., and Quanbeck, J.Q., 2019, 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation—Land remote sensing satellite compendium: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1455, 191 p., 

https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1455.

ISSN 1067-084X (print)

ISSN 2330-5703 (online)

ISBN 978-1-4113-4322-1
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Preface

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Land Imaging Program (NLIP) has a responsibility to 

provide imagery for the Nation in support of science, land management, and other needs. The 

USGS NLIP operates the Landsat series of satellites, and actively manages 46 years of imagery 

from diverse sources as a continuous record of our changing planet.

To understand the user needs for Earth observation, measurement, and monitoring, the Requirements, Capabilities, and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) Project has been established.

One of the missions of the RCA-EO Project is to identify and catalog existing and planned 

capabilities for measuring and monitoring the Earth. The RCA-EO Project also supports the Joint 

Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) mission and developed this compendium as one 

of the USGS contributions to the JACIE effort.

This publication was produced by the USGS NLIP RCA-EO Project Team (Gregory Stensaas, 

Project Manager) under the Observing Systems Branch (Jennifer Lacey, Branch Chief) at the 

USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. 

Authors:

Jon B. Christopherson, KBR, contractor for the USGS.

Shankar N. Ramaseri Chandra, KBR, contractor for the USGS.

Joel Q. Quanbeck, KBR, contractor for the USGS.
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Acknowledgments

In the 1990s and 2000s, William “Bill” Stoney, after a long and distinguished career at NASA 

including serving as Director of NASA’s Earth Observation Programs, compiled and maintained a 

list of land-imaging satellites. He shared this list for general reference and for the general benefit of the remote sensing community. Bill realized the beginnings of the rapid growth of Earth 

observation and, through his list, helped others understand what was happening in the industry. 

The American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing published the 2008 version of 

Bill’s ASPRS GUIDE TO LAND IMAGING SATELLITES on the American Society of Photogrammetry 

and Remote Sensing website, where it remains available. In recent years, calls have been made 

for a new, updated version of the “Bill Stoney list.” We hope that this compendium is an answer 

to those calls and begins to fill the niche that Mr. Stoney created. Thanks, Bill! 
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Contents

Preface ...........................................................................................................................................................iii

Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................................iv

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1

Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation................................................................................1

The Compendium of Land Remote Sensing Satellites....................................................................1

Changes in Remote Sensing ........................................................................................................................3

Compendium Coverage, Conventions, and Caveats .......................................................................3

History of Land Remote Sensing from Space ...........................................................................................5

First Images of the Earth from Space................................................................................................5

First Imagery from Orbit..............................................................................................................5

Early Drivers of Earth Remote Sensing ....................................................................................5

Weather Imaging .........................................................................................................................5

Defense Reconnaissance—Corona.........................................................................................6

Dedicated Civil Land Imaging .............................................................................................................7

1972–99—Slow, Steady Growth ................................................................................................7

2000–Present—Accelerating Rapid Growth...........................................................................7

Contributing Trends—Space is Cheaper and Easier....................................................................10

Satellite Costs and Reliability ..................................................................................................10

Launch Services—Availability and Cost................................................................................10

Supporting Infrastructure.........................................................................................................10

Contributing Trends—Remotely Sensed Data Usage...................................................................10

Information Technology ............................................................................................................10

Supporting Factors ....................................................................................................................11

Trends in Satellite Land Remote Sensing ..............................................................................11

The Four Resolutions.................................................................................................................11

Synthetic Aperture Radar—The Promise of Radar .............................................................13

References Cited..........................................................................................................................................13

Orbits of Earth Observation Satellites ......................................................................................................15

Sun-Synchronous Repeat Orbits......................................................................................................15

Subrecurrent Orbit..............................................................................................................................15

Geosynchronous Orbit .......................................................................................................................16

Low-Altitude Orbits—International Space Station Orbit .............................................................18

Combined Repeat Cycle of Sentinel-2 and Landsat Satellites ....................................................18

Remote Sensing Law and Policy...............................................................................................................21

Historic Development—Reconnaissance to Commercial Remote Sensing Policy.................21

Current Remote Sensing Policies of Major Space Remote Sensing Countries .......................22

United States ..............................................................................................................................22

Canada.........................................................................................................................................23

France..........................................................................................................................................23

Germany ......................................................................................................................................23

India..............................................................................................................................................23

Japan ...........................................................................................................................................24

Russia...........................................................................................................................................24
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United Kingdom..........................................................................................................................24

China ............................................................................................................................................24

References Cited..........................................................................................................................................24

An Overview of Russian Earth Observing Systems................................................................................26

References Cited..........................................................................................................................................28

An Overview of Chinese Earth Observing Systems ...............................................................................30

Government/Civil Satellites...............................................................................................................31

Fengyun .......................................................................................................................................31

Huanjing.......................................................................................................................................31

Haiyang........................................................................................................................................31

Ziyuan...........................................................................................................................................32

Gaofen..........................................................................................................................................32

Yaogan .........................................................................................................................................32

Commercial Satellites ........................................................................................................................33

Superview ...................................................................................................................................33

Zhuhai ..........................................................................................................................................33

Jilin...............................................................................................................................................33

Triplesat.......................................................................................................................................33

References Cited..........................................................................................................................................33

Appendix 1. Selected References .........................................................................................................35

Appendix 2. Recent and Future Launches ...........................................................................................37

2017–18 Launches...............................................................................................................................38

2019 and Beyond.................................................................................................................................40

Appendix 3. Land Remote Sensing Satellite Data Sheets .................................................................43

1HOPSat................................................................................................................................................44

ALOS-2..................................................................................................................................................45

ALOS-3..................................................................................................................................................47

ALOS-4..................................................................................................................................................49

AlSat-1B................................................................................................................................................50

AlSat-2A and 2B..................................................................................................................................51

Amazônia 1...........................................................................................................................................53

Aqua......................................................................................................................................................54

Biomass................................................................................................................................................56

Capella 1/Denali ..................................................................................................................................57

Cartosat-1.............................................................................................................................................58

Cartosat-2, -2A, and -2B.....................................................................................................................59

Cartosat-2C, -2D, -2E, and -2F...........................................................................................................60

Cartosat-3.............................................................................................................................................62

CAS500-1 and -2..................................................................................................................................63

CBERS-4................................................................................................................................................64

CBERS-4A.............................................................................................................................................66

COMS....................................................................................................................................................68

COSMO-SkyMed-1 to -4.....................................................................................................................70

CryoSat-2..............................................................................................................................................71

CSG-1 and -2........................................................................................................................................72
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Deimos-1, UK-DMC-2, NigeriaSat-X................................................................................................73

Deimos-2...............................................................................................................................................75

DubaiSat-1............................................................................................................................................76

DubaiSat-2............................................................................................................................................77

EnMAP..................................................................................................................................................78

FLEX.......................................................................................................................................................79

GEO-CAPE ............................................................................................................................................81

GeoEye-1 ..............................................................................................................................................82

GEO-KOMPSAT-2A..............................................................................................................................83

GEO-KOMPSAT-2B..............................................................................................................................84

GISAT ....................................................................................................................................................85

GOES-16, -17, -T, and -U.....................................................................................................................86

GOMX-4A and -4B...............................................................................................................................88

HRSAT 1A, 1B, 1C................................................................................................................................89

HyspIRI Mission Concept ..................................................................................................................90

ICESat-2................................................................................................................................................91

INSAT-3A..............................................................................................................................................92

INSAT-3D and -3DR.............................................................................................................................93

ISS JEM-EF/Kibo.................................................................................................................................94

ISS MUSES...........................................................................................................................................95

ISS Zvezda............................................................................................................................................96

Jason-2 (OSTM) ..................................................................................................................................98

Jason-3.................................................................................................................................................99

Kalpana-1 ...........................................................................................................................................100

KazEOSat-1.........................................................................................................................................101

KazEOSat-2.........................................................................................................................................102

KhalifaSat...........................................................................................................................................103

Kompsat-2 ..........................................................................................................................................104

Kompsat-3 ..........................................................................................................................................105

Kompsat-3A........................................................................................................................................106

Kompsat-5 ..........................................................................................................................................108

Kompsat-6 ..........................................................................................................................................109

Kompsat-7 ..........................................................................................................................................110

Landmapper-BC 3 v2 ........................................................................................................................111

Landsat 7 ............................................................................................................................................112

Landsat 8 and 9..................................................................................................................................114

Mohammed VI-A and -B..................................................................................................................116

NigeriaSat-2.......................................................................................................................................117

NISAR..................................................................................................................................................119

ÑuSat-1 to -8......................................................................................................................................120

OceanSat-2 ........................................................................................................................................122

OceanSat-3 and -3A .........................................................................................................................123

PACE....................................................................................................................................................125

PeruSat-1............................................................................................................................................127

Planet’s Mission-1.............................................................................................................................128
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Pleiades-HR (1A and 1B) .................................................................................................................130

PRISMA ..............................................................................................................................................132

PROBA-1.............................................................................................................................................133

PROBA-V ............................................................................................................................................134

RADARSAT Constellation Mission .................................................................................................135

RADARSAT-2......................................................................................................................................137

RASAT.................................................................................................................................................139

ResourceSat-2 and -2A....................................................................................................................140

ResourceSat-3 and -3A....................................................................................................................142

ResourceSat-3S and -3SA...............................................................................................................143

RISAT-1, -1A, and -1B.......................................................................................................................144

RISAT-2 and -2A ................................................................................................................................146

SABIA-Mar 1 and 2...........................................................................................................................148

SARAL.................................................................................................................................................149

Sentinel-1 ...........................................................................................................................................150

Sentinel-2 ...........................................................................................................................................151

Sentinel-3 ...........................................................................................................................................153

Sentinel-6 ...........................................................................................................................................156

SEOSat................................................................................................................................................157

SkySat-1 to -13...................................................................................................................................158

SMAP..................................................................................................................................................160

SMOS..................................................................................................................................................161

SPOT-6 and -7 ....................................................................................................................................162

SWOT..................................................................................................................................................164

TanDEM-L...........................................................................................................................................165

Terra ....................................................................................................................................................166

TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X ............................................................................................................169

THEOS.................................................................................................................................................171

TripleSat-1 to -3 / SSTL-S1...............................................................................................................172

VENμS.................................................................................................................................................174

Suomi NPP, NOAA-20, JPSS-2 to -4...............................................................................................176

Vivid-i 1 to 5........................................................................................................................................178

VNREDSat-1A ....................................................................................................................................179

VRSS-1................................................................................................................................................181

VRSS-2................................................................................................................................................183

WorldView Legion.............................................................................................................................185

WorldView Scout ..............................................................................................................................186

WorldView-1 ......................................................................................................................................187

WorldView-2 ......................................................................................................................................188

Worldview-3.......................................................................................................................................189

WorldView-4 ......................................................................................................................................191
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Figures

1. First imagery of the Earth taken from space, October 24, 1946.............................................5

2. First image of Earth from orbit taken by Explorer VI on August 14, 1959.............................5

3. First television image of the Earth from TIROS-1 from April 1, 1960.....................................5

4. Photograph showing Nimbus-A, which became Nimbus-1 on orbit, 

continued progress in meteorological satellites.....................................................................6

5. Photograph showing Midair retrieval of a film capsule reentering from 

a classified U.S. reconnaissance satellite ...............................................................................6

6. Photograph showing Zenit satellite displayer in St. Petersburg showing 

camera ports .................................................................................................................................6

7. Map showing countries that have orbited land-imaging satellites .....................................8

8. Map showing countries currently (2018) operating Earth observing 

satellites with number in service ...............................................................................................9

9. Image showing photographic Landsat images being processed at the 

U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center ....................11

10. Graph showing satellite launches by year.............................................................................12

11. Graph showing spectral capability trends .............................................................................12

12. Images of two new commercial synthetic aperture radar satellites 

launched in 2018 .........................................................................................................................13

13. Graph showing period differing by inclination angle............................................................15

14. Image showing example coverage constraints for a Sun-synchronous 

orbit satellite—three-dimensional view.................................................................................16

15. Image showing coverage constraints of a satellite in a Sun-synchronous 

orbit—two-dimensional view...................................................................................................16

16. Graph showing satellite altitude versus repeat cycle in a subrecurrent 

Sun-synchronous orbit. Increasing color intensity shows the increasing 

trend of inclination with increasing altitude, and the number beside each 

point is the number of orbits required before repeating......................................................17

17. Image showing coverage constraints of a satellite in geostationary orbit—

three-dimensional view.............................................................................................................18

18. Image showing coverage constraints of a satellite in International 

Space Station-based orbit—three-dimensional view..........................................................19

19. Image showing coverage constraints of a satellite in International 

Space Station-based orbit—two-dimensional view ............................................................19

20. Graph showing combined repeat cycle of two Landsat satellites and 

two Sentinel-2 satellites ............................................................................................................19

21. First satellite image of Siberian airbase in the Union of Soviet 

Socialist Republics .....................................................................................................................21

22. Map showing which countries are parties of the Outer Space Treaty, 

which are signatories, and which are nonparties ................................................................22

23. Image showing Sputnik—the first artificial satellite launched by the 

former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics............................................................................26

24. Graph showing space budgets of the United States and Russia (2014–23) .....................27

25. Kanopus-V-IK image of St. Petersburg ..................................................................................27

26. Electro-L image of Earth............................................................................................................28

27. Diagram showing evolution of Chinese space agencies.....................................................30
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28. Graphs showing China’s space budget breakdown by application and 

future trends in China’s space budget ....................................................................................31

29. Image showing artist’s view of China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite CBERS-4 ..........32

30. Graph showing timeline of Chinese Earth observing systems............................................32

Tables

1. Classes of satellites by mass [modified from Federal Aviation Administration 

Office of Commercial Space Transportation, 2018].................................................................3

2.1. Earth observation satellite launches of 2017–18...................................................................38

2.2. Earth observation satellite launches of 2019 and beyond...................................................40

Conversion Factors

International System of Units to U.S. customary units

Multiply By To obtain

Length

meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft) 

kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi)

meter (m) 1.094 yard (yd) 

Flow rate

meter per second (m/s) 3.281 foot per second (ft/s) 

meter per hour (m/h) 3.281 foot per hour (ft/h)

kilometer per hour (km/h) 0.6214 mile per hour (mi/h)

Mass

kilogram (kg) 2.205 pound avoirdupois (lb)
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Abbreviations

ASTER Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer

CAC Chinese Aerospace Corporation

CASC China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

CBERS China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite

CNSA Chinese National Space Agency

CRC combined repeat cycle

EROS Earth Resources Observation and Science [Center]

ERTS Earth Resources Technology Satellite

GSD ground sample distance

ISS International Space Station

JACIE Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NGA National Geospatial Intelligence Agency

NLIP National Land Imaging Program

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RCA-EO Requirements, Capabilities, and Analysis for Earth Observation [Project]

SAR synthetic aperture radar

SSO Sun-synchronous orbit

SSTL Surrey Satellite Technology, Ltd.

UN United Nations

UN RSP United Nations Remote Sensing Principles

USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture

USGS U.S. Geological Survey

VNIR visible plus near infrared
In the style of Van Gogh’s painting “Starry Night,” massive congregations of greenish phytoplankton swirl in the dark water 

around Gotland, a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea. Phytoplankton are microscopic marine plants that form the first link in nearly 

all ocean food chains. Population explosions, or blooms, of phytoplankton, like the one shown here, occur when deep currents 

bring nutrients up to sunlit surface waters, fueling the growth and reproduction of these tiny plants. Source: Landsat 7.
JACIE

2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—

Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

By Jon B. Christopherson, Shankar N. Ramaseri Chandra, and Joel Q. Quanbeck

Introduction

Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation

The Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation 

(JACIE) is a collaborative multiagency group that began in 

2000 between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, 

and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to assess the quality 

and capabilities of newly launched commercial high-resolution 

satellites. Each agency had potential interest in using these 

commercial datasets in fulfilling their missions and in determining if imagery from these new systems had the quality, 

accuracy, and repeatability necessary to support science, land 

management, and other Government needs. In the initial years, 

JACIE assessed imagery from Space Imaging’s IKONOS, 

DigitalGlobe’s QuickBird, and ORBIMAGE’s Orbview-3. The 

JACIE agencies shared the results of their individual assessments with each other, the satellite owners/operators, and the 

public. The assessments from the JACIE agencies have helped 

satellite owners improve the data quality from their commercial satellites. Since these early efforts, two more agencies have joined JACIE: the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA). Each agency brings its own needs and strengths to 

the JACIE mission. 

The JACIE group hosts an annual workshop to present 

the results of their findings, as well as characterization results 

from universities, satellite owners, and others from the remote 

sensing community. Satellite data assessment and calibration 

methods also are presented and discussed. In addition, the 

JACIE workshop has a forward-looking aspect because plans 

for future systems are presented and discussed. 

The Compendium of Land Remote Sensing 

Satellites

Since about 2012, the JACIE group has observed 

ever-increasing numbers of remote sensing satellites being 

launched. This rapidly growing wave of new systems creates 

a need for a single reference for land remote sensing satellites 

that provides basic system specifications and linkage to any 

JACIE assessment that may have been completed on existing 

systems. This volume has been assembled by the Requirements, Capabilities, and Analysis for Earth Observation 

Project under the USGS National Land Imaging Program as a 

contribution to the JACIE community. This is the first edition 

of the JACIE compendium, which is planned to be updated 

and released annually. 

This document consists of two primary parts. The first 

part contains pertinent and relevant information for the remote 

sensing community, including articles related to the history 

and growth of land remote sensing from space, a background 

on remote sensing law and policy, and a discussion of the primary drivers behind the growth in government and commercial land remote sensing. Also included in this part are short 

articles giving a brief overview of the Chinese and Russian 

Earth observation programs and a description of the types of 

orbits used for remote sensing. 

The second part is a set of appendixes containing data 

on more than 100 land-imaging and land-measuring satellite systems. The appendixes contain a listing of recent and 

future satellite launches, graphics, and data sheets on more 

than 100 land remote sensing satellites and systems. Assessment results on individual systems are viewable on the USGS 

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Calibration Center of Excellence website, which is available at 

https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie and can 

be linked to from the individual data sheets.

Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation

NASA • NGA • NOAA • USDA • USGS
JACIE

2 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala erupted on January 31, 2018, and Landsat 8 acquired an image 

of the eruption a day later. A plume of ash rises from the mountain’s peak to an altitude of 

6,500 meters (21,300 feet). Wind has carried the ash 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the west and 

southwest. 

The stratovolcano has erupted on and off for centuries. Evidence of previous eruptions 

can be seen in the Landsat 7 image from January 8, 2018. The spidery streaks coming from 

the volcano’s peak are previous pyroclastic and lava flows. A puff of steam casts a narrow 

shadow toward the northwest in that image as well. Just north of Volcán de Fuego is its twin 

Acatenango. 

The instruments onboard Landsat 8 have been spotting volcanic eruptions, floods, wildfires, 

and myriad other changes to the Earth’s surface since the satellite launched on February 11, 

2013. After 5 years in orbit, Landsat 8 continues the Landsat Program’s unprecedented record of 

natural and human-induced changes on the global landscape. 

Source: Landsat 7, January 8, 2018

Source: Landsat 8, February 1, 2018
JACIE

Changes in Remote Sensing 3

Changes in Remote Sensing

The world of remote sensing is undergoing change and 

development at a remarkable pace, more so than any single 

period since the dawn of spaceborne remote sensing in the 

1960s and 1970s. A confluence of factors has made it easier 

to build, launch, and operate satellites while simultaneously it 

has become much easier and more efficient for users to access 

and develop applications with data remotely sensed from 

space. 

Two factors substantially influencing this change are 

(1) the rise of small satellites, referred to as smallsats, and 

(2) the emergence of commercial corporations actively engaging in Earth observation from space. 

Smallsats are defined as satellites with a mass of 

500 kilograms (kg) or less (table 1). Bryce Space and Technology (2018) reported that from 2012 to 2017, more than 

1,000 smallsats were launched, and 6 times as many were 

launched in 2017 than in 2012. More than 700 of these 

smallsats were CubeSats. In 2017 alone, 335 smallsats were 

launched, 87 percent of which were CubeSats. The same 

report stated that 67 percent of smallsats launched provide 

commercial services and that 85 percent of all commercial 

satellites are for remote sensing. It was in this environment of 

rapid change, with the launch of so many new satellites with 

broadly differing capabilities, that the idea for this land remote 

sensing compendium was conceived.

Table 1. Classes of satellites by mass [modified 

from Federal Aviation Administration Office of 

Commercial Space Transportation, 2018].

Satellite classes by mass

Group name Mass, in kilograms

Extra heavy

Heavy

Large

Intermediate

Medium

Small

Greater than 7,000

5,400–7,000

4,200–5,400

2,500–4,200

1,200–2,500

600–1,200

Smallsats

Mini 200–600

Micro 10–200

Nano 1–10

Pico 0.1–1.0

Femto Less than 0.1 (100 grams)

CubeSats

A “CubeSat” is not a mass “class” but a description of a 

smallsat of certain volumes. A basic CubeSat is a cube 

that is 10 centimeters (cm)×10 cm×10 cm. This volume is 

designated as one “mu”; thus, a 3-mu (μ) CubeSat would 

be 30 cm×10 cm. Because of their small size, all CubeSats 

are smallsats, but not all smallsats are CubeSats.

Compendium Coverage, Conventions, and 

Caveats

The compendium coverage, conventions, and caveats are 

given in detail below. 

• This first edition of the compendium provides a focus 

on satellites thought to be of the most interest to the 

JACIE community; therefore, it does not provide data 

sheets for the numerous Chinese and Russian systems. 

The two articles in the first section of the compendium 

describe the Chinese and Russian Earth observation 

programs and provide insight into the relevant efforts 

of those two countries. 

• Many reference sources were mined for the data and 

information presented in this compendium. Information sources and how the information has been integrated into this circular are provided in appendix 1. 

• A table with data for recent and future satellite 

launches is included in appendix 2. 

• The data sheets in appendix 3 are arranged alphabetically by satellite or constellation name with their 

respective sensors arranged after each satellite. In some 

instances, satellites are known by more than one name. 

• When data in appendix 3 were not available or were 

unknown, a dash (—) was used to indicate the lack of 

that information. 

• The compendium focuses heavily, but not exclusively, 

on land-imaging satellites and land-measuring sensors. 

Satellites with multiple instruments (for example, Terra 

or Aqua) will only include the instrument descriptions 

that are important to land imaging or land measuring. 

Because of the ongoing rapid development within the 

remote sensing industry, some of the information presented in 

this compendium may have changed or may be out of date by 

the time of publication. Information in this compendium was 

gleaned from numerous sources that also are striving to keep 

pace with an already fast-paced era for space-based remote 

sensing.
JACIE

4 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Landsat sensor technology has come a long way since the days of the Return Beam Vidicon 

cameras on the first three Landsat satellites. Known as the RBV, it was originally intended to be 

the satellites’ primary sensor. But the Multispectral Scanner, or MSS, became the more stable and 

superior instrument.

Compare these images of glaciers in Alaska’s Chitina River Valley from 1980. There is more background noise in an RBV image than there is in an MSS image. The RBV on Landsat 3 had a slightly 

higher spatial resolution, but the low signal-to-noise ratio makes it harder to pull out surface detail.

The 2018 image from Landsat 8’s Operational Land Imager has even better signal-to-noise ratio and 

higher resolution than both early sensors. The image reveals more detail about the roughness and 

flow of the ice. Landsat 8’s shortwave infrared bands provide a better distinction between ice and 

rock or soil.

Although Landsat sensor technology has improved, RBV data still play an important role in this 

long-term record of changes on the earth.
JACIE

History of Land Remote Sensing from Space 5

History of Land Remote Sensing from 

Space

First Images of the Earth from Space

Space is defined as an altitude of 100 kilometers (km) 

above the surface of the Earth (Kármán line). The first images 

of the Earth taken from space were captured in 1946 above 

White Sands, New Mexico. These first images were taken by 

a motion picture camera installed in a captured German V-2 

rocket. The grainy pictures (see fig. 1) were the first to hint at 

the capabilities of imaging Earth from space.

A newsreel (Internet Archive, 2018) shows excerpts 

of these earliest videos from space at https://archive.org/

details/1946-11-21_White_Sands_NM_V-2_rocket.

Figure 1. First imagery of the Earth taken from space, 

October 24, 1946 [Source: White Sands Missile Range/Applied 

Physics Laboratory].

First Imagery from Orbit

The first image of the Earth taken from orbit was captured by the Explorer VI satellite on August 14, 1959 (fig. 2). 

Crude and barely recognizable, the image shows a sunlit part 

of the central Pacific Ocean and clouds.

Early Drivers of Earth Remote Sensing

Weather and defense intelligence were the two primary 

needs driving early space-based observations of Earth. These 

early efforts focused on the safety and protection of national 

populations, which helped warrant the substantial costs and 

effort to overcome the major technical challenges in completing these goals.

Figure 2. First image of Earth from orbit taken by 

Explorer VI on August 14, 1959 [Source: NASA].

Weather Imaging

On April 1, 1960, NASA launched the first Television 

Infrared Observation Satellite, TIROS-1, which returned the 

first television image of the Earth from space (fig. 3). Considered the first successful weather satellite (other satellites had 

carried nonimaging meteorological instruments that operated with some success), the TIROS and subsequent Nimbus 

program (fig. 4) provided valuable information to weather 

forecasting, although their imagery was considered too coarse 

for land mapping or science purposes.

Figure 3. First television image of the Earth from 

TIROS-1 from April 1, 1960 [Source: NASA].
JACIE

6 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Figure 4. Nimbus-A, which became Nimbus-1 on orbit, continued 

progress in meteorological satellites [Source: NASA].

Defense Reconnaissance—Corona

Fears and concerns generated by the Cold War and 

uncertainties regarding the capabilities of foreign countries 

created a strong desire to use newly developed space capabilities to capture overhead imagery of other nations. The United 

States began developing the Corona Program, initially under 

the cover name “Discoverer.” The first launch of this program, 

Discoverer 1, took place on February 28, 1959. The first polar 

orbit was achieved by Discoverer 2. Numerous launch difficulties and ambitious technical goals proved challenging, but the 

program finally returned imagery 1 1/2 days after the launch 

of Discoverer 14 on August 18, 1960. All imagery was collected on film that was then deorbited in reentry capsules and 

retrieved while parachuting to Earth (fig. 5). 

The first Coronas provided 12-meter (m; 40-foot [ft]) 

resolution imagery. Improvements to later Corona satellites 

produced imagery with 1.5-m (5-ft) resolution and better. By 

the time the last Corona satellite was launched in 1972, more 

than 100 missions had been launched using several improved 

versions of satellites. 

The former Soviet Union, facing the same Cold War concerns, developed their own reconnaissance satellites beginning 

with the Zenit series, which were all referred to as “Kosmos” 

(Cosmos) satellites. The Zenit satellites used many of the 

same components of the proven Vostok manned spacecraft 

that carried the first Soviet cosmonauts to orbit (fig. 6). The 

Figure 5. Midair retrieval of a film capsule reentering from 

a classified U.S. reconnaissance satellite [Source: National 

Reconnaissance Office].

Figure 6. Zenit 

satellite displayer 

in St. Petersburg 

showing camera 

ports [Source: 

Wikimedia 

Commons, 

licensed under the 

Creative Commons 

Attribution-Share 

Alike 2.5 Generic 

license].

cosmonauts were replaced with film cameras, and the capsule was returned to Earth. The spacecraft required heavy lift 

capability, weighing in at more than 4,500 kg (10,000 pounds 

[lbs]), but provided a pressurized, temperature-controlled 

environment ideal for instrument operation. Recovery of the 

capsule meant that the cameras could be reused. The first 

successful Zenit satellite, Kosmos 4, launched April 26, 1962. 

More than 500 Zenits were flown before this series came to an 

end in 1994.
JACIE

History of Land Remote Sensing from Space 7

The Corona and Zenit systems returned film imagery 

from space back to Earth to be developed and analyzed, 

which meant delays of days to weeks for the imagery to reach 

analysts. Typical missions lasted only for days or a few weeks, 

necessitating the large numbers of reconnaissance satellites 

flown during those years.

Dedicated Civil Land Imaging

Scientists and land managers had long used overhead 

imagery from aircraft in their work. Photos of the Earth taken 

by Mercury and Gemini astronauts spawned interest and 

excitement among the Earth science agencies to build a dedicated land-mapping and measuring satellite system. NASA 

worked with the Department of the Interior and, on July 23, 

1972, the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) was 

launched with two land-imaging sensors on board. 

Response to the imagery delivered by ERTS, soon 

renamed Landsat 1, was rapid and positive. By 1975, NASA 

Administrator James Fletcher said, “If I had to pick one spacecraft, one space age development to save the world, I would 

pick ERTS and the satellites which I believe will be evolved 

from it later in this decade” (National Research Council, 2013, 

p. 1). Subsequent Landsat satellites have continued to record 

the Earth’s land surface for more than the last 46 years. Landsat 9, planned for launch in 2020, will extend this record well 

into its sixth decade.

1972–99—Slow, Steady Growth

Landsat 1 was followed by Landsats 2 and 3. In 1982 

and 1984, Landsats 4 and 5 were respectively launched with 

improved resolution and multispectral capabilities. Landsat 5 

continued its mission in orbit until 2013, making it the longest 

operating land remote sensing satellite to date. 

In 1986, the French Space Agency, Centre National 

d’Etudes Spatiales, launched its first Satellite Pour 

l’Observation de la Terre (SPOT). This satellite, known as 

SPOT-1, joined Landsat in the intentional mapping and monitoring of the Earth’s surface. The recently launched SPOT-6 

and SPOT-7 (now Azersky) satellites continue this 32-year 

legacy. 

France was followed by more nations launching their 

own land monitoring satellites. India launched IRS-1A in 

1988; Russia launched ALMAZ-1, which carried a synthetic 

aperture radar (SAR) instrument that resulted in some environmental applications; and Japan launched the Japan Earth 

Resources Satellite, JERS-1, in 1992 with optical and radar 

instruments. 

In 1992, the Russian Government began selling highresolution panchromatic imagery captured by its military 

reconnaissance satellites with resolution as fine as 2 m. This 

was the highest resolution space imagery available outside of 

the intelligence community. Space Imaging LLC began selling 

1-m imagery on January 1, 2000, from their IKONOS satellite. 

Throughout the 1990s, nations continued launching more 

Earth observation satellites. NASA began its Mission to Planet 

Earth by launching satellites that became known as the Earth 

Observing System. The Earth Observing System, conceived in 

the 1990s, was an ambitious NASA program to launch numerous satellites carrying a broad variety of instruments to gather 

comprehensive measurements of the Earth’s lands, oceans, and 

atmosphere.

2000–Present—Accelerating Rapid Growth

The previously referenced IKONOS not only supplied 

high-resolution imagery but also was the first commercially 

developed and launched Earth observation satellite. IKONOS 

was joined in 2001 by DigitalGlobe’s high-resolution QuickBird satellite. The two firms are generally regarded as the 

forerunners of the commercially funded and operated remote 

sensing from space industry. 

Surrey Satellite Technology, Ltd. (SSTL), a commercial spinoff of the University of Surrey in England, launched 

UK-DMC in 2003. SSTL was the first of a series of Disaster 

Monitoring Constellation satellites that were built, launched, 

and operated for paying customers. Using low-cost technology and low-cost launches aboard converted Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles, SSTL could quote customers 

an on-orbit, fully functioning satellite for $11 million. This 

satellite was more than an order of magnitude less costly than 

other Earth observation satellites available at that time. The 

dramatic reduction in the price brought many new providers to 

the community of satellite owners, including Algeria, Turkey, 

and Nigeria. Space was no longer only for large, developed 

nations. The low-cost satellite development trend continued 

and now at least 54 countries have, or have had, Earth imaging 

satellites (figs. 7 and 8). 

Today, the most rapid growth in Earth observation satellites is within the private sector. In recent years, the development of smallsats, particularly CubeSats, combined with 

rapidly growing launch opportunities, has allowed for the 

launch of hundreds of commercial satellites into orbit in this 

decade. The number of Earth observing satellites is growing 

rapidly, from government and commercial efforts. Multiple 

factors, primarily technological, are converging to drive this 

impressive growth.
JACIE

8 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium 180° 140°E 100°E 60°E 20°E 20°W 60°W 100°W 140°W 70°N 50°N 30°N 10°N 10°S 30°S

50°S Country that has orbited a land-imaging satellite—Not all countries are 

labeled due to space constraints

EXPLANATION

RUSSIA

CANADA

CHINA

BRAZIL

USA

INDIA

IRAN

KAZAKHSTAN

ALGERIA

SWEDEN

FINLAND

NORWAY

SAUDI

ARABIA

UKRAINE

FRANCE

SPAIN

SOUTH 

AFRICA

NIGERIA

MOROCCO

BELARUS

THAILAND

JAPAN

VIETNAM

UNITED 

KINGDOM

PORTUGAL

INDONESIA

REPUBLIC OF KOREA 

PHILIPPINES

0 6,000 2,000 4,000 8,000 MILES0 6,000 2,000 4,000 8,000 KILOMETERS

REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN)

ARGENTINA

PERU

VENEZUELA

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

CHILE

Figure 7. Countries that have orbited land-imaging satellites.
JACIE

History of Land Remote Sensing from Space 9

180° 140°E 100°E 60°E 20°E 20°W 60°W 100°W 140°W

70°N50°N30°N10°N

10°S30°S50°S

RUSSIA

CHINA

USA

INDIA

Countries currently operating Earth-observing 

satellites and number in service—Countries with less than 21 satellites are not labeled due to space constraints

EXPLANATION

1 to 2021 to 79More than 79

15

24

4

21 1

10

13

13

13

14

18

13

13

2

3

FRANCE

GERMANY

13

13

13

13

13

13

3

3 1

3

1

2

1

29

79

1 1

1 2

1

1

10

7

1

39

2

381

1

4

1

8

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

0 6,000 2,000 4,000 8,000 MILES0 6,000 2,000 4,000 8,000 KILOMETERS

Figure 8. Countries currently (2018) operating Earth observing satellites with number in service.
JACIE

10 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Contributing Trends—Space is Cheaper and 

Easier

Several factors stand out in making access to space and 

operations in orbit less difficult and lower in cost than before. 

Specifically, satellites can be made smaller, cheaper, and more 

reliable than in past decades. Also, the number of launch 

vehicles available to put satellites into orbit is growing rapidly 

while the costs of launch are coming down. Finally, new models for space operations—command, control, and communications—also are reducing on-orbit operational costs.

Satellite Costs and Reliability

As space technology matures, the availability of better components with greater reliability has increased. Also, 

satellite manufacturers are experimenting with componentry 

that is not traditionally classified as space-qualified hardware. 

As more experience has been gained in satellite development, 

components have become cheaper and more accessible. Today, 

it is possible to purchase what is essentially a “do-it-yourself 

kit” to build one’s own CubeSat for a few thousand dollars. This is a favorite method of universities, and more than 

300 university-built CubeSats have been launched to date.

Launch Services—Availability and Cost

Often, a substantial part of the cost of a satellite mission 

is dedicated to the launch. In an October 19th, 2017 press 

release, NASA announced a contract for $153.8 million to 

launch Landsat 9 into orbit in 2020. Typical U.S. Government 

Earth observation missions can cost hundreds of millions of 

dollars, even approaching $1 billion, with expensive launches 

contributing strongly to the total mission costs. Launch costs 

have long been a barrier to entry into Earth observation from 

space, but recent changes have reduced these costs, greatly 

lowering the barrier to entry. 

Now, more countries than ever have space-launch capabilities. The Federal Aviation Administration’s Compendium 

of Commercial Space Transportation 2018 lists 72 rockets 

from 11 countries currently in operation or development that 

can launch payloads into orbit. Those interested in launch 

services have numerous choices now to fit schedule, budget, 

and orbital needs. The company, Planet, in orbiting its full 

Mission 1 constellation of satellites, launched its Flock of 

Dove satellites on at least 9 types of rockets from 4 different 

countries. 

New and well-established launch providers are competing to push down the cost of access to orbit. On their website, 

https://www.spacex.com/about/capabilities, SpaceX prices a 

Falcon 9 launch, which can put 22,800 kg (50,265 lbs) into 

low Earth orbit, at $62 million (SpaceX, 2018). There are 

numerous smaller low-cost launchers as well. Launch has 

become a commodity widely available at lower costs than ever 

before. 

Chief among the technologies used to lower costs is the 

capability to launch multiple satellites from one launch vehicle. Doing so can distribute the cost of a single launch across 

multiple payloads, resulting in each satellite incurring only a 

fraction of the total launch cost. Multiple-launch capability 

was demonstrated most dramatically when India established 

a new multiple-launch record in February 2017 by successfully delivering 104 individual satellites into orbit for multiple 

customers in 1 single Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle launch.

Supporting Infrastructure

Several technologies that have lowered operational 

costs and improved the capabilities and success of operating 

Earth observation satellites have emerged. Examples of these 

technologies are Global Positioning System and other global 

navigation satellite systems. These technologies have simplified precisely determining the location of satellites for satellite 

operators, which has improved the geolocation of their data 

products. The availability and reliability of high-speed internet 

transmission allows rapid data movement at low cost, which 

shortens the time from area of interest overflight to data availability for customers. Operating constellations of satellites 

can result in a lower cost per satellite for mission operations. 

Ground receiving stations have become cheaper and more 

widely available. For example, a startup company has received 

funding to establish a business facilitating satellite operators 

sharing receiving antennas with one another, which reduces 

the effect of operational costs for both. 

Contributing Trends—Remotely Sensed Data 

Usage

As impressive as the technological improvements and 

cost reductions are of going into space, the improvements on 

the ground for receiving, processing, archiving, and distributing the data and information provided from land remote sensing satellites have been even more dramatic.

Information Technology

In the early days of Landsat, the volume of digital data 

comprising a single Landsat scene was beyond the computing power of all but Federal Government agencies and a few 

research universities. Most early users of Landsat data did 

their work on photographic prints made from Landsat images. 

Large photographic prints of Landsat images being developed 

at the USGS EROS Center circa 1976 are shown in figure 9.

From the beginning of the Landsat era in 1972 to the 

present day, computing power has grown exponentially while 
JACIE

History of Land Remote Sensing from Space 11

Figure 9. Photographic Landsat images being processed 

at the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation 

and Science Center [Source: USGS EROS Data Center].

becoming cheaper and more commonplace. Working with a 

single Landsat digital image in the 1970s required computer 

“mainframes” found only in the largest business, universities, 

or government facilities; today it is done easily on modest personal computers. Similar advances have also occurred in data 

storage and transmission technologies and costs. The computing power necessary to work with remotely sensed imagery 

that had once been available to only a few is now available to 

nearly anyone.

Supporting Factors

Although the stunning growth of information technology 

is responsible for much of the improvement to using remotely 

sensed data on the ground, other factors have also affected 

the growth and acceptance of using Earth observation data. 

Education is among the first of these influencers.

When Landsat was first launched, the field of satellite 

Earth observation did not exist. Users had to be shown the 

potential of these new data and trained in their use. A primary 

mission of the USGS EROS Center within its’ first decades 

was to educate and train users from around the globe, enabling 

them to benefit from this new wealth of Earth observation 

data. As universities, with the help of government agencies, 

developed Earth science programs and, through research, built 

a solid base of knowledge using these data, more people were 

exposed to the potential of using Earth observing imagery and 

data. Technology has advanced from simple red, green, blue 

images to land-imaging sensors collecting data in many tens to 

hundreds of wavelengths, not to mention active remote sensing capabilities.

As of 2018, progress is rapidly being made in what 

is referred to as “the cloud,” a term referring to enormous 

collections of thousands of computer processors and associated storage being offered by several large firms. Using the 

collective processing power and storage offered in these cloud 

services, users of remotely sensed data can execute queries 

algorithms across vast amounts of data records from multiple 

satellites and rapidly arrive at solutions for current challenges 

experienced across the globe today. The promise of being 

able to directly, efficiently, and quickly extract information is 

becoming a reality.

Although advancements have been made in making 

remotely sensed data more usable to scientists and professionals, another presence has made remotely sensed imagery 

available and accepted by millions: online mapping. Online 

mapping programs began in the 1990s with line-drawn maps. 

With the advent of Google Earth and Google Maps in the 

mid-2000s, along with similar products and services offered 

by others shortly thereafter, the popularity of online mapping 

applications has continued to increase. These tools and applications brought to the masses the ability to overlay maps with 

actual satellite imagery of the Earth. Suddenly, digital imagery 

over the planet with reasonable geolocation was available to 

anyone with an internet connection. Land remote sensing satellite data are no longer the exotic tool of the few but a common tool within reach of billions of people around the globe.

Trends in Satellite Land Remote Sensing

As the JACIE team has worked with the growing satellite remote sensing community, several potential trends have 

been noted and discussed. Trends such as the rapid growth 

in numbers of commercial satellites launched (fig. 10) have 

been mentioned already, with Planet being the largest single 

contributor to the number of satellites up to this point. However, the number of individual satellites launched may trend 

downwards somewhat in the coming years as new technologies allow low-cost smallsats and CubeSats to do more.

The spectral capabilities of land-imaging systems 

launched during this recent surge have been dominated by the 

3-band or 4-band satellites delivering only visible or visible 

plus near-infrared (VNIR) imagery as shown in figure 11. The 

technology for producing imagery in these spectral ranges 

lends itself well to small, low-cost imagers; however, there 

has been growth in the number of multispectral instruments 

(5–36 bands) and even a few super-spectral or hyperspectral 

instruments.

The Four Resolutions

There are four resolutions that contribute to the utility 

of land imagery: spatial, spectral, temporal, and radiometric 

resolution. Particularly as commercial remote sensing has 

grown over the last two decades, JACIE has observed progress 

made first in spatial resolution, followed by improved spectral resolution, and now in temporal resolution as high agile 

satellites and large constellations provide near-daily or daily 

coverage. During this same period, governmental systems 
JACIE

12 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Users

EXPLANATION

1974 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019

Launch year

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Number of satellites

Commercial

Public/Private

Government/Civil

Figure 10. Satellite launches by year.

1974 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019

Launch year

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

EXPLANATION

Spectral groups

37+ Superspectral or Hyperspectral

5–36 Multispectral

3–4 Visible plus near-infrared (VNIR)

1–2 Panchromatic (typically)

Number of satellites

Figure 11. Spectral capability trends.
JACIE

References Cited 13

have improved their radiometric resolution from typical 8-bit 

resolution to 12-bit and now 14-bit resolution.

Synthetic Aperture Radar—The Promise of 

Radar

Using radar to measure the Earth’s land masses moved 

out of the classified realm and into the civilian and commercial 

world with the launch of Canada’s Radarsat-1 in 1995. Radarsat and other satellites like it use SAR to measure the Earth’s 

surface at increasingly finer resolutions of 1 m or less during 

day or night and even through clouds. Adoption and wide use 

of these datasets were initially hindered by the complexity of 

SAR data and the processing power they required. Technical 

advances have reduced these limitations substantially, and 

the number of SAR satellites being launched, although still 

less than that of optical imagers, has grown in recent years. 

The year 2018 saw the first launches of SAR smallsats from 

companies planning constellations of SAR satellites for the 

commercial market (fig. 12).

References Cited

Bryce Space and Technology, 2018, Smallsats by the numbers: 

Bryce Space and Technology web page, accessed July 2018 

at http://www.brycetech.com/reports.html.

Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial Space 

Transportation, 2018, Annual Compendium of Commercial 

Space Transportation: Federal Aviation Administration, 

255 p., accessed August 2018 at https://www.faa.gov/about/

office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/media/2018_AST_Compendium.pdf. 

Internet Archive, 2018, Internet Archive: Internet Archive web 

page, accessed July 2018 at https://archive.org/.

National Research Council, 2013, Landsat and beyond—Sustaining and enhancing the Nation’s land imaging program: 

Washington, D.C., The National Academies Press, 76 p. 

[Also available at https://doi.org/10.17226/18420.]

SpaceX, 2018, Capabilities 

and services: SpaceX web 

page, accessed October 2018 

at https://www.spacex.com/

about/capabilities.

Figure 12. Images of two new 

commercial synthetic aperture 

radar satellites launched in 2018. 

A, IceEyeX2; and B, Capella 

Space [Source: ICEYE, Capella 

Space, used with permission].

A

B
JACIE

14 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Satellites have captured views of the numerous major fires burning in California.

An image acquired on November 9, 2018, from NASA’s MODIS sensor on the Terra satellite 

shows smoke pouring out of two major fires, the Camp Fire and the Woolsey Fire, which both 

ignited the day before.

In the north, the Camp Fire quickly became the deadliest wildfire in the State’s history. Landsat 8 

captured an image of the fire hours after it started, and intense northeasterly winds and dry 

fuels caused the fire to spread rapidly. The Camp Fire burned over 100,000 acres in just 2 days.

Over 6,500 homes were destroyed, most of them in Paradise, a city of 27,000 people.

In southern California, Santa Ana winds fanned the flames of the Woolsey Fire. This fire has 

burned over 97,000 acres.

The enormous fire scar is the maroon color between the urban areas of Los Angeles, Thousand 

Oaks, and Malibu. The scar from the Hill Fire is also visible to the northwest.
JACIE

Orbits of Earth Observation Satellites 15

Orbits of Earth Observation Satellites

Earth observation satellites differ in terms of orbit, sensor 

payload, sensor or satellite agility, and spectral and spatial 

resolutions. These parameters are designed based on the mission requirements and applications. Although some orbits provide high revisit frequency, wide swaths, and low resolution, 

others provide lower revisit frequency with higher resolution. 

The orbits most commonly used for Earth observation are 

discussed below.

Sun-Synchronous Repeat Orbits

In a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), the angle between the 

satellite’s orbital plane and the Sun is constant. To maintain 

this constant angle as the Earth revolves around the Sun, the 

plane of an SSO must also rotate, or precess, around the Earth 

at the same rate that the Earth orbits the Sun—once per year 

or 0.986 degree (°) per day. This precession is caused by the 

Earth’s oblateness interacting with a satellite in an orbit that 

is slighting inclined beyond a perfectly 90 ° polar orbit. The 

precise angle of inclination necessary to provide the proper 

rate of precession changes with orbital altitude (fig. 13).

An SSO can either be circular or elliptical. The nodal 

precession of the circular SSO is a function of its altitude and 

inclination, whereas, for an elliptical SSO, it is a function of 

altitude, inclination, and eccentricity. The maximum altitude 

for a circular SSO is 5,964 km with a corresponding inclination of 180 °.

Subrecurrent Orbit

A satellite in a subrecurrent orbit repeats its original orbit 

after a certain period, typically days, which enables the satellite to observe the same area at regular intervals. A subrecurrent SSO is the most commonly chosen orbit for land remote 

sensing. In such an orbit, a satellite observes the Earth from 

the same viewpoint at the same local solar time and minimizes 

changes in illumination and other diurnal variability, thus aiding in subsequent analysis. The near-polar inclination of SSOs 

also provides coverage of nearly the whole Earth, as illustrated 

in figures 14 and 15.

The first Sun-synchronous satellite was the Satellite and 

Missile Observation System (SAMOS-2), launched on January 31, 1961, for U.S. military photographic reconnaissance. 

Meteorology was the first civilian use of SSO, with the satellite Nimbus-1 launched on August 28, 1964. Nimbus-1 was 

followed by the TIROS-9, TIROS-10, and Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellites.

The first use of an SSO for U.S. civilian land remote 

sensing was Landsat in 1972. Every Landsat has been 

launched into an SSO. Other early missions to use SSOs were 

the French SPOT, the European Remote Sensing Satellites, 

the Indian Remote Sensing Satellites, and the Russian Resurs 

satellites. Today, most, although not all, land-imaging satellites 

are in Sun-synchronous orbits. Numerous subrecurrent SSOs 

are shown in figure 16.

Figure 13. Period differing by inclination angle.

96.4 96.6 96.8 97.0 97.2 97.4 97.6 97.8 98.0 98.2 98.4 98.6 98.8 99.0 99.2 99.4 99.6 99.8 100.0 100.2 100.4 100.6 100.8

Inclination, in degrees

90

92

94

96

98

100

102

104

106

108

110

Time period, in minutes
JACIE

16 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Figure 14. Example coverage 

constraints for a Sunsynchronous orbit satellite—

three-dimensional view.

Figure 15. Coverage 

constraints of a satellite in a 

Sun-synchronous orbit—twodimensional view.

Geosynchronous Orbit

A satellite is said to be geosynchronous if its motion 

around the Earth and the rotation of the Earth about its axis 

have the same angular frequency. Geostationary orbit is a 

special kind of geosynchronous orbit with zero inclination 

and a constant altitude. These orbits circle the Earth above 

the equator at an altitude of 35,786 km. At this altitude, the 

satellite’s orbital period matches the Earth’s rotational period 

and, therefore, the satellite appears to be stationary over a 

fixed position. The speed of a geostationary satellite is about 

3.07 kilometers per second (km/s) or 11,068 kilometers per 

hour (km/hr; 6,878 miles per hour). Geostationary orbits are 

useful for weather monitoring, communication, and Earth 

observation because they can provide a continuous view of 

the same surface area. However, because satellites in geostationary orbits can only see one side of the Earth (see fig. 17), 

their views become increasingly slanted as one moves farther 

to the “edges” of the side of the Earth being viewed. Because 

of the much greater distance from the Earth, 50 or more times 

the distance of typical land-imaging satellites, the resolution 

achievable using geostationary orbit is proportionally coarser.
JACIE

Orbits of Earth Observation Satellites 17 Figure 16. Satellite altitude versus repeat cycle in a subrecurrent Sun-synchronous orbit. Increasing color intensity shows the increasing trend of inclination with increasing altitude, and the number beside each point is the number of orbits required before repeating. 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800 850 900 950 1,000 1,050 1,100 1,150 1,200 1,250 1,300 1,350 1,400 1,450 1,500 1,550 1,600 1,650 1,700 Approximate altitude above ground, in kilometers

9876543210

1716151413121110

Repeat cycle, in days

16

255

239

223

207

191

175

159

143

127

206

111

253

174

95

221

205

142

79

236

173

63

110

251

204

157

219

172

47

203

125

187

109

78

249

171

140

233

202

31

247

201

170

139

185

108

200

123

77

215

169

245

199

153

46

107

229

168

198

137

61

213

76

243

167

197

106

91

227

121

151

136

181

166

211

196

241

15

239

224

209

194

179

164

149

134

223

119

193

104

237

163

89

207

192

133

74

221

162

59

103

235

191

147

205

161

44

190

117

175

102

73

233

160

131

218

189

29

231

217

188

159

130

101

173

187

115

72

201

158

229

186

43

143

100

214

157

185

128

57

199

227

156

71

184

85

99

212

113

127

155

141

183

169

225

211

197

14

223

209

195

181

167

153

139

125

208

111

180

97

221

152

83

193

124

69

179

206

151

55

219

178

137

96

191

41

150

177

109

163

68

95

217

149

122

203

176

27

215

202

175

148

121

161

94

174

107

67

187

147

213

173

40

133

199

146

93

172

53

185

119

211

145

66

171

79

92

197

105

118

144

131

170

157

196

183

209

13

207

194

181

168

155

142

129

116

193

103

167

90

205

141

77

179

115

64

166

191

140

51

165

127

89

203

177

38

139

101

164

151

63

88

201

113

163

138

188

25

187

162

137

199

112

149

87

161

62

173

136

99

197

37

160

123

184

135

86

159

49

171

110

195

134

61

158

73

85

182

109

97

121

145

133

169

157

193

181

12

Landsat-8 and 9

Sentinel-2
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18 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Figure 17. Coverage constraints of a satellite in geostationary orbit—three-dimensional view.

The first use of geosynchronous orbits started with the 

U.S. satellite series synchronous communications satellite 

(Syncom) in 1963 for experimenting with communications 

from space. The first images from geostationary satellites were 

taken by the Application Technology Satellite (ATS-1), but the 

first meteorological satellite on this orbit belonged to the Synchronous Meteorological Satellite (SMS) series, launched in 

1974. These were followed by the Geostationary Operational 

Environmental Satellite series launched by NOAA starting 

in 1975.

Low-Altitude Orbits—International Space 

Station Orbit

The International Space Station (ISS) is a unique scientific platform that enables researchers from all over the world 

to put their talents to work on innovative experiments that 

could not be done anywhere else. The ISS orbits the Earth in 

a 90-minute, 400-km low Earth orbit at a 52 ° inclination to 

offer a unique vantage point covering more than 90 percent of 

the Earth’s population (figs. 18 and 19). This orbit also provides improved spatial resolution because of a lower altitude 

than typical SSOs used for Earth observation. Earth observing 

satellites and sensors operating in this orbit contend with varying lighting conditions.

The ISS is a multinational effort to advance science and 

technology. The participating nations use the platforms on 

the ISS for remote sensing of the Earth. Current platforms 

aboard the ISS include Teledyne-operated DLR Earth Sensing 

Imaging Spectrometer (known as DESIS), NASA’s Ecosystem 

Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station 

(known as ECOSTRESS), Urthecast’s Theia and Iris sensors, 

and many more. ISS-based low Earth orbits have also been 

used by Planet for several of their Dove satellites to acquire 

higher-resolution Earth imagery, particularly during their demonstration and development phase.

Combined Repeat Cycle of Sentinel-2 and 

Landsat Satellites

The combined repeat cycle (CRC) is the repeat cycle 

achieved with two or more satellites. Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 

are currently operational in an SSO at an altitude of 705 km 

with a 16-day repeat cycle. The sensors on both satellites have 

a swath width of 185 km at nadir. The offset between these 

satellites in orbit provides a CRC of 8 days to image any point 

on the Earth. When it launches in 2020, Landsat 9 is planned 

to replace Landsat 7 and to continue the same 8-day CRC with 

Landsat 8.

The European Space Agency, with its Copernicus Mission, launched Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B into an SSO at 

an altitude of 786 km with a 10-day repeat cycle. The sensors 

have a field of view of 20.6 ° to provide a swath width of 

290 km. Both Sentinel-2 satellites are in the same orbit 180 ° 

apart (that is, on opposite sides of the Earth) to provide a CRC 

of the Earth of 5 days.

A combination of two Landsat satellites and two Sentinel-2 satellites can be used to achieve a high revisit frequency 

for acquiring imagery. Locations at high latitudes are imaged 

more frequently because of overlapping footprints. As shown 

in figure 20, the combination of two Landsat satellites and 

two Sentinel-2 satellites allows imaging revisits varying from 

a maximum of 5 days between imaging to a minimum of 

same-day imaging at locations near the equator. Locations at 

higher latitudes benefit from increasing the overlap produced 

by the decreasing distance between orbital paths, allowing 

many areas to be imaged at even shorter revisit rates.
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Orbits of Earth Observation Satellites 19

Figure 18. Coverage 

constraints of a satellite 

in International Space 

Station-based orbit—threedimensional view.

Figure 19. Coverage 

constraints of a satellite in 

International Space Stationbased orbit—two-dimensional 

view.

Landsat 7

Note:

Locations at

higher latitudes

CRC = 3 days CRC = 0 days CRC = 1 day

Sentinal–2B

Sentinal–2A

Landsat 8

0 7 14 21

Days

28 35

Figure 20. Combined repeat 

cycle (CRC) of two Landsat 

satellites and two Sentinel-2 

satellites.
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20 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

The images below show the ponderosa pine forests in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Mountain pine beetles are about the size of a grain of rice, so of course we cannot see them 

from space in satellite images. What is visible is what the beetles can do to a pine forest. The 

washed-out pink color indicates large areas of standing dead or damaged trees.

Cold winters normally kill beetle eggs and keep the population down. Recent winters have been 

warmer than normal. Prolonged dry conditions in the early 2000s also weakened the trees and 

made them easier for the beetles to attack. These factors together led to a massive epidemic.

In 2018, precipitation in the Black Hills was above normal, and the beetles have remained at normal levels. The damage is done, however, and current Landsat imagery still shows the degraded 

forest.

Landsat is well suited to studying forest change over large areas. The Landsat record covers 

more than 46 years, and its visible and near-infrared range can pinpoint the beginning of future 

beetle attacks.
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Remote Sensing Law and Policy 21

Remote Sensing Law and Policy

Historic Development—Reconnaissance to 

Commercial Remote Sensing Policy

Remote sensing was developed by the early space 

pioneers, the United States and the former Soviet Union, to 

gather intelligence information for defense planning. Both 

countries agreed on a common policy that allowed them to 

view each other’s territories with reconnaissance satellites. 

The United States operated Corona satellites, while the Soviet 

Union relied on Sputnik and Kosmos satellites for reconnaissance. The first satellite image of a Siberian airbase taken by a 

U.S. reconnaissance satellite is shown in figure 21.

The policy between these two countries was formalized when the Outer Space Treaty was drafted by the United 

Nations (UN) in 1967. The Outer Space Treaty provided the 

foundation for the Principles Relating to Remote Sensing of 

the Earth from Outer Space, referred to here as the “United 

Nations Remote Sensing Principles” (UN RSPs). Concerns 

and discussions about remote sensing began with the Landsat 

age and, supported by multiple UN resolutions, took nearly 

15 years of discussion amidst the different positions and 

conflicting interests of several nations before consensus was 

reached and the UN RSPs were formally adopted by the UN in 

1986 (Ito, 2011).

The early proposals for UN RSPs were provided by 

participating UN nations. The United States proposed an open 

skies policy, providing the freedom to observe foreign territories from space. The open skies policy did not extend sovereign rights of states into space and insisted upon the freedom 

of remotely sensing and gathering information. Developing 

nations opposed the view held by the United States and argued 

that a country should have a sovereign right over remotely 

sensing their resources and the dissemination of any information regarding those resources. Most developed countries 

concurred with the United States, but the Soviet Union and 

developing nations opposed the open skies policy.

These initial proposals were followed by policy suggestions from Argentina, the Soviet Union, France, Brazil, the 

United States, Mexico, and Chile. Suggestions were focused 

on conditions for remote sensing including prior consent, limits on location and veto rights, priority access and controlled 

distribution of data, and international responsibility. Additional 

rules and suggestions for the dissemination of remotely sensed 

data were set forth during the Moscow convention of 1974 

regarding the transfer and use of data for remote sensing of 

the Earth from space. This proposed 1974 policy would have 

prevented countries from disseminating data without the consent of the country being observed. The policy, however, was 

not ratified by the United States and other developed nations 

and, hence, failed to become globally accepted legislation on 

remote sensing.

After the Moscow convention, consensus on a set of 

principles for remote sensing was achieved through difficult 

negotiations between developed and developing nations. With 

the emergence of civilian-operated remote sensing satellites, 

developed nations adhered even more strongly to the open 

skies policy. The United States began operating Landsat in 

1972 with an open data policy and, in 1973, began working 

with international partners to offer direct downlinks of Landsat 

data at their own ground stations. The U.S. Land Remote 

Sensing Commercialization Act of 1984 was supported by 

France when they launched the SPOT system in 1986. The 

UN RSPs, which mainly reflected the view held by the United 

States with a high degree of compromise from developing 

nations, were drafted in 1986. Today these principles serve as 

a recommendation for international remote sensing activities. 

The parties, signatories and nonparties of the Outer Space 

Treaty are respectively shown in green, yellow, and red in 

figure 22.

Figure 21. First satellite image of Siberian airbase in the 

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [Source: National Air 

and Space Museum].
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22 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Figure 22. Green countries are parties of the Outer Space Treaty, yellow countries are signatories, and red countries are nonparties

[Source: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license].

The UN RSPs comprises 15 principles that dictate the 

use of remote sensing activities for the benefit of all countries 

while improving natural resources management, land use, 

and the protection of the environment. Principle I defines 

basic terms of remote sensing, primary data, processed data, 

and analyzed information. Principle II states that the remote 

sensing activities should be carried out for the benefit of all 

countries. Principle III emphasizes that remote sensing activities be completed in compliance with the Outer Space Treaty. 

Principle IV states that the remote sensing activities should 

protect the sovereignty of all states and people over their 

own wealth and natural resources. Principle V mandates that 

countries completing remote sensing activities allow other 

countries to participate in such activities. Principle VI covers 

the establishment of ground stations to maximize the availability of benefits from remote sensing. Principles VII through 

IX discuss developed countries providing technical assistance 

to developing countries on mutual terms. Principles X and XI 

address use of remote sensing activities for disaster monitoring 

and protection of the environment. Principle XII, in the interest of developing countries, states that the acquired data over 

a developing country should be made available to that country 

on a nondiscriminatory basis. Principles XIII through XV 

discuss the peaceful use of space and remote sensing activities with international cooperation (United Nations Resolution 

41/65, December 3, 1986).

The national remote sensing policies and laws drafted by 

countries regulate their remote sensing activities. In general, 

all national policies and laws contain the same fundamental principles: to use remote sensing activities for scientific, 

social, and economic benefit; to protect the environment; and 

for national security.

Differences exist in the usage of remote sensing data, 

such as resolution limits and data dissemination. National policies governing space remote sensing of major countries are 

discussed here.

Current Remote Sensing Policies of Major 

Space Remote Sensing Countries

United States

For more than 30 years, the remote sensing policy of the 

United States was guided by the needs of Landsat. In the last 

decade, however, satellite systems owned and operated by private organizations have emerged as complementary elements 

in U.S. remote sensing policy. The current policy supports 

civil and commercial observation satellites that are available 

and responsive to the Nation’s diverse civil, national security, 

and commercial requirements for overhead imagery data of 

various types and resolutions (Williamson and Baker, 2004).
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Remote Sensing Law and Policy 23

The remote sensing policy in the United States was 

developed to serve specific user purposes. The original policy 

drafted by the U.S. Government between the launch of Landsat 1 in 1972 and the Landsat Commercialization Act of 1984 

was used as a basis to help draft the international principles for 

remote sensing. Following 1984, quasi-private entities were 

responsible for developing commercial policy. The principles 

of this commercial policy were included in the Land Remote 

Sensing Policy Act of 1992 (Public Law 102–555). After 

1992, the focus remained on the improvement of the commercial policy while developing an environmental policy.

The Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992 is the 

principle legislation governing U.S. remote sensing activities 

today and provides the overall framework for relevant policies. This act has been updated, complemented, and implemented by Presidential Decision Directive 23, the U.S. Policy 

on Foreign Access to Remote Sensing Capability, the KylBingaman Amendment to the 1997 Defense Authorization Act, 

the 2003 Commercial Remote Sensing Policy, and the 2006 

Regulation on Licensing of Private Land Remote Sensing 

Space Systems.

The Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992 designates 

the authority to license private remote sensing systems to 

the U.S. Department of Commerce. The U.S. remote sensing 

policy requires that national security and safeguarding foreign 

policy be considered in the licensing process. A company must 

disclose the amount of Government resources that go into the 

launch or operation of a system. The act states that the data 

generated by Government remote sensing systems are available on a nondiscriminatory basis. The commercial and publicprivate systems data should be provided “on reasonable terms 

and conditions” (Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992).

The 2003 Commercial Remote Sensing Policy enhanced 

the competitiveness of private agencies by freeing restrictions 

on spatial, spectral, and radiometric resolution. The policy also 

indicates that the U.S. Government will encourage commercial 

industry and, when possible, will rely on the commercial data 

to fill the imagery and geospatial needs.

Canada

Remote sensing activities in Canada are regulated by the 

Remote Sensing Space Systems Act of 2005. This act applies 

to public, private, and public-private system operators in Canada. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs licenses remote sensing 

systems, taking national security and international relations 

and obligations into consideration. Raw data and remote sensing products acquired by the system about the territory of any 

country are made available to the government of that country 

within a reasonable time, on reasonable terms.

France

The remote sensing activities in France started with the 

launch of SPOT satellites in 1986. These activities are regulated by the general laws of the French Government. Remote 

sensing data collection and distribution also are protected by 

the 1986 UN RSP.

The law on space operations adopted by the French 

Senate in 2008 deals with the international obligations for 

authorization and control of activities in outer space and registration of space objects. Unlike other national remote sensing 

policies, the French policy requires the licensing entity to 

provide a declaration of its activities. The declaration should 

address the nature of the system and its objectives and should 

provide details on the following characteristics: data resolution, frequency of bands used, data accuracy, and data quality. 

The administrative authority of the French Government controls and monitors the licensee in protecting the fundamental 

interests of the nation.

Germany

Germany’s domestic remote sensing policy is outlined 

in the Act on Satellite Data Security, which became effective 

in 2007 to address the first public-private partnership system, 

TerraSAR-X. The German Act establishes governmental control over the collection and dissemination of data to minimize 

threats to the security of Germany and other nations. Licenses 

are issued to satellite operators and data distributors for specific data transactions. Germany has a two-tiered security data 

policy, similar to the United States, and any mishandling of 

data can lead to incarceration.

India

The Indian Government is the sole and exclusive owner 

of the satellites and their data. The Indian Space Research 

Organization is the government organization responsible for 

the Indian space program. The National Remote Sensing Center, an organization under the Indian Space Research Organization, and Antrix Corporation, Ltd., under the Department 

of Space, is responsible for the acquisition and distribution 

of remote sensing data in India. Antrix Corporation, Ltd., is 

vested with the authority to disseminate Indian Remote Sensing Satellite data outside of India.

The Indian remote sensing policy is similar to the 

national laws and policies of other countries around the world. 

According to the Remote Sensing Data Policy of 2011, satellite data as fine as 1-m resolution are provided to all users on 

a nondiscriminatory basis. A screening process is defined for 

acquiring data of higher resolutions (Gabrynowicz, 2014).
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24 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Japan

Japan is in the process of building a space and data policy 

to regulate their remote sensing activities. The Remote Sensing Data Act is being developed to ensure adequate handling 

of satellite remote sensing data. The act establishes rules for 

proper use of remote sensing systems and regulates the distribution of remote sensing data to ensure the peace and security 

of the international community.

The Space Activities Act regulates the launch and 

control of the satellites in Japan. Nongovernmental entities 

require authorization from the Government of Japan to carry 

out launch activities. The Government of Japan completes 

prelaunch examinations to ensure compliance with safety 

standards and examine the capabilities and objectives of the 

systems.

Russia

The Law on Space Activities, published in 1993, regulates the licensing, launch and operations, and data distribution 

in Russia. Licenses are issued to entities and their systems to 

fulfill scientific purposes and improve the national economy. 

The development of the National Remote Sensing Development Concept is currently in progress. In 1992, Russia 

commercialized high-resolution data acquired by their reconnaissance satellites. Data at resolutions as fine as 2 m can be 

available for other countries with mutual agreements.

United Kingdom

The space activities in the United Kingdom are regulated 

by the Outer Space Act of 1986. According to this law, the 

Secretary of State is responsible for issuing licenses for space 

systems that comply with rules regarding the safety of the 

people, maintaining international peace, and national security.

China

China does not have a national space law but expects 

to introduce one by 2020. A space law was drafted into its 

national 5-year plan in 2013 (Wu, 2018). The current space 

activities in China are regulated by the UN RSPs.

References Cited

Gabrynowicz, J., 2014, A Brief Survey of Remote Sensing 

Law Around the World: Department of Commerce: NOAA 

Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing.

Ito, A., 2011, Legal aspects of satellite remote sensing: 

Boston, Mass., Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 349 p.

Williamson, R.A., and Baker, J.C., 2004, Current US 

remote sensing policies—Opportunities and challenges: 

Space Policy, v. 20, no. 2, p. 109–116. [Also available at 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spacepol.2004.02.009.]

Wu, X., 2018, China’s space law—Rushing to the finish line 

of its marathon: Space Policy, v. 46, p. 38–45. [Also available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spacepol.2018.03.004.]
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References Cited 25

Another large iceberg recently broke off Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica. According to the U.S. 

National Ice Center, this iceberg, named B-46, has an area of 87 square miles. That is slightly 

larger than the iceberg that previously separated from the glacier in September 2017.

B-46 broke away on October 29, 2018, just a month after a rift first appeared. The October 1 

image acquired by Landsat 8 shows the beginning of the rift.

Iceberg calving is natural part of glacial change, but these large breaks are happening more 

frequently on Pine Island Glacier. Since 2013, the glacier has calved four large icebergs.

A Landsat-1 image from 1973 compared to 2018 shows the glacier’s retreat over 45 years.
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26 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

An Overview of Russian Earth 

Observing Systems

Russia, formerly the Soviet Union, is a major space 

power and has completed many firsts in space including the 

first artificial satellite, Sputnik (fig. 23); the first man and 

woman in space; and the first lunar flyby. During the Cold 

War, the Soviet Union operated many satellites for military 

purposes. The Ministry of Machine-Building, established in 

1965, was the civil agency responsible for space activities 

during the Cold War. It became the precursor for the Russian Space Agency after the dissolution of the Soviet Union 

in 1991. The current Russian state space corporation, Roscosmos, was formed in 2015 by a Presidential decree and 

combined the Russian Space Agency and the United Rocket 

and Space Corporation. The organization is currently chaired 

by former Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.

Roscosmos is the government body for all the space 

activities in Russia. It has many subsidiaries including 

Glavkosmos, NPO Energomash, Lavochkin, Reshetnev 

Company, TsNIIMash, and Krunichev State Research and 

Production Space Center. These organizations are responsible 

for activities such as manufacturing rockets, satellites, and 

launch facilities and for leading science. Military armaments 

and missile manufacturing organizations in Russia also work 

under the guidance of Roscosmos. Glavkosmos promotes the 

Russian space industry achievements in the world market and 

manages the commercial space projects. Reshetnev Company 

is the prime manufacturer for the Roscosmos spacecrafts.

Roscosmos is focused on human space flight and space 

exploration. Their Soyuz spacecraft is being used by NASA 

and the European Space Agency to carry astronauts to the ISS. 

Russia’s current Earth observation efforts are limited compared to China and the United States. Russia’s space budget 

has faced serious cuts in recent years. In 2014, the budget allocated for space endeavors in Russia equated to about $5 billion 

(U.S. dollars), equivalent to 28 percent of the NASA space 

budget. Because of depreciation of the ruble during the oil crisis in 2015 and 2016, Russia’s space budget spending power 

fell to the equivalent of $1.6 billion (U.S. dollars) in 2016. For 

the 10-year period from 2016 to 2025, a federal space budget 

equal to $20.25 billion (U.S. dollars) was approved by Russia 

(Karash, 2016). Figure 24 shows a comparison between U.S. 

and Russian space budgets, in billions of U.S. dollars from 

2014 projected out to 2023. 

To proliferate their space programs, Roscosmos has 

been seeking international cooperation. Russia has signed an 

agreement with the Italian Space Agency to jointly launch a 

constellation of high-resolution satellites. The United States, 

in collaboration with Russia, is building a lunar gateway—a 

space station orbiting the moon. Russia also has plans to support China in building the Tiangong-3 space station.

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union had advanced 

Earth observing capabilities. Since the early 1960s, 2,500 Kosmos satellites have been launched to serve Earth sciences, 

communications, meteorology, and military reconnaissance. 

Roscosmos has continued the launch of Kosmos satellites. 

Currently, Russia has more than 50 operational satellites in 

orbit. Russia has dedicated Earth observation programs to 

address key science needs, including Resurs for resource planning and natural disaster studies, Meteor-M for meteorological 

and ocean studies, Kanopus for disaster monitoring, and others 

serving civilian and military needs in Russia.

Resurs is one of Russia’s most important operational 

Earth observation programs. The first satellite of the mission, Resurs-DK, was launched at the end of 2006 and was 

operational until 2016. Resurs-Prospective (Resurs-P) was 

the follow-on mission. The Resurs-P mission consists of three 

operational satellites launched in 2013, 2015, and 2016, and 

two more are planned to be launched in 2020 and 2021. The 

Resurs satellites carried a Geoton-L1 imager as the primary 

sensor designed to capture images of the Earth in the VNIR 

parts of the spectrum. The Resurs-P satellites also carried a 

GSA Hyperspectral Imager with 256 bands in the VNIR part 

of the spectrum and a medium resolution ShMSA multispectral imager imaging in VNIR. The main applications of the 

mission are to provide information for cartography, environment, and disaster monitoring and to monitor infrastructure 

development.

The Kanopus-Vulcan series of satellites for ecological monitoring, natural resources, mineral exploration, and 

topographic mapping started operations with the launch of 

Kanopus-1 in 2012. Kanopus-V-IK-1, an infrared satellite, was 

launched in 2017 to demonstrate infrared imaging capabilities. 

Kanopus V-3 and 4 were launched in February 2018 for highresolution Earth imaging. All of these satellites are in SSOs 

at 500 km and carry multispectral and panchromatic imagers. 

The Kanopus series is planned to continue with the launch of 

Kanopus-VM satellites after 2020. An image of St. Petersburg, Russia, taken by the Kanopus-V-IK satellite is shown in 

figure 25.

Figure 23. Sputnik—the first artificial satellite launched by the 

former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [Source: NASA].
JACIE

An Overview of Russian Earth Observing Systems 27

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Space budget, in billions of U.S. dollars

Year

Russia

United States

EXPLANATION

Figure 24. Space budgets of 

the United States and Russia 

(2014–23).

Figure 25. Kanopus-V-IK image of St. Petersburg [Source: Roscosmos].
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28 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Roscosmos began launching the Meteor-M series of 

satellites for meteorology and ocean monitoring in 2009 with 

Meteor-M N1, followed by Meteor-M N2 in 2014. MeteorM N3 did not make it into orbit because of launch failure. 

Meteor-M N2 is currently operational with N2-2 and N2-3 

planned to be launched in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Meteor 

satellites orbit the Earth in an 800-km SSO and carry two 

optical imagers (VNIR through thermal infrared [TIR] and an 

X-band SAR).

Electro-L1 and L2 are the second-generation geostationary satellites of Roscosmos, launched in 2011 and 2015, 

respectively, for ocean and weather monitoring. They are 

designed to capture real-time images of clouds and oceans 

using an optical imager operating in the VNIR part of the 

spectrum. Six more satellites are planned to launch in the 

Electro series by 2025. A complete disc of Earth captured by 

Electro-L satellite is shown in figure 26.

Obzor-O and Obzor-R are constellations of optical and 

radar satellites, respectively, planned for launch in 2019 and 

later. They will provide high-resolution images of Earth for 

resource monitoring, disaster mitigation, and cartography. The 

Obzor-O satellites operate in eight ranges of the spectrum, 

including visible and infrared, at a resolution of 5 m and 20 m, 

respectively. The Obzor-R satellites are planned to replace 

the Arkon-2M satellites, whose development was canceled in 

2012. They carry a phased array radar to obtain all-weather 

images with resolutions as fine as 1 m.

Roscosmos also plans to operate the Kondor-FKA-M satellites based on the heritage of Kondor-FKA. The constellation 

of three S-band SAR satellites is planned for launch in 2019, 

2020, and 2025 from the Vostochny spaceport. Applications 

include monitoring floods, forest fires, and snow avalanches; 

forecasting harvests; and monitoring ice along the northern sea 

route. Glavkosmos operates the AIST-2D satellite to test key 

remote sensing equipment and SAPSAN, a high-resolution 

multispectral satellite for commercial Earth observation.

References Cited

Karash, Y., 2016, Russian Space Program—Financial state, 

current plans, ambitions and cooperation with the United 

States: The Space Congress® Proceedings, Paper 27, 7 p.

Figure 26. Electro-L image of 

Earth [Source: Roscosmos].
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References Cited 29

Many lakes in South Dakota’s Prairie Pothole Region are expanding. Lake Thompson in eastern 

South Dakota is one that has displayed remarkable change in recent decades.

An aerial image from 1952 shows it as a wetland, with a small area of open water. Landsat 

began observing the area with near-infrared imaging in 1972. By the mid-1980s, the low land 

filled with enough water to become South Dakota’s largest natural lake. There have been some 

fluctuations in lake levels since then, and some shoreline and shallow areas changed between 

dryland, marshland, and open water.

Wildlife responds to the lake’s changes. Herons and egrets use the shallow water and mudflats 

on the lake’s fringes. Pelicans, gulls, terns, and ducks thrive in the open water.

The dead trees that remained standing were perfect habitat for cormorants, eagles, and herons. 

Eventually, the dead trees collapsed, and the habitat changed again.

Landsat data can be used to map these changes and help managers understand the interaction 

between lake levels and wildlife populations.
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30 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

An Overview of Chinese Earth 

Observing Systems

China has established itself as a major space power in the 

21st century. Since the launch of their first satellite in 1970, 

China has demonstrated a tremendous and rapidly evolving 

space capability. China was the third nation to put a human 

in space, to have their own space station (Tiangong-1), and 

to have launched more than 200 satellites since 2013. Of the 

200 satellites launched in the last 5 years, 60 percent were 

dedicated to Earth observation. Over the past 10 years, China’s 

space program has grown at an incredible rate. In 2018 alone, 

China launched 22 Earth observing satellites. 

Despite demonstrating substantial capabilities in the 

space industry, limited information is known about China’s 

space program, which is considered to be the most complex 

and nontransparent in the world. The Chinese space program 

is not only surrounded by a high level of secrecy but is further 

complicated by bureaucratic structures with numerous organizations within organizations. Adding to the confusion, the 

Chinese have frequently restructured, renamed, and relocated 

these organizations all while creating new entities (fig. 27) 

to fulfill the needs of new programs and missions (Aliberti, 

2015). Currently, the main administrative body coordinating 

space activities in China is the State Administration on Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. Under 

this administrative body is the Chinese National Space Agency 

(CNSA), which is responsible for defining national space policies; administering the civilian space program; and managing 

the development of national space science, technology, and 

industry. The CNSA was established in 1993 along with the 

Chinese Aerospace Corporation (CAC) to separate governmental and industrial space activities. The CNSA is a liaison 

between the State Administration on Science, Technology and 

Industry for National Defense and the CAC and represents 

China at the international level. The CAC is a powerful internal component focused on dealing with national space matters.

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and the China Aerospace Science and Industry 

Corporation are state-owned industrial groups formed in 1999 

under the CAC’s administration. The CASC, the main contractor of the Chinese space program, is a large-scale conglomerate of 130 companies. The CASC manages the research, 

design, manufacturing, and supply of space technologies and 

systems as well as international commercial launch services. 

The China Academy of Space Technology, Shanghai Academy 

of Spaceflight Technology, China Academy of Launch Vehicle 

Technology, and China Great Wall Industry Corporation are 

some notable subsidiaries of the CASC. The China Aerospace 

Science and Industry Corporation also is a huge conglomerate of aerospace companies, acting as the prime contractor for 

China’s aerospace defense program, and specializes in manufacturing missiles and armaments.

A few other agencies that have an important role in the 

Chinese space program are the China Meteorological Administration, responsible for operating China’s weather satellites; 

the National Satellite Oceanic Application Center, responsible 

for the development and data processing of Chinese ocean 

satellites; and the National Remote Sensing Center of China, 

responsible for planning and policy making on remote sensing 

technology and its industrialization.

China’s space budget is secretive, with no published 

records. According to reports by Euroconsult (2013), 

0.042 percent of China’s budget is dedicated to space endeavors. This percentage is relatively low compared to the United 

States (0.5 percent); however, the parity in purchasing 

power—the effective spending power of that money—closely 

matches the U.S. budget (Aliberti, 2015). China’s space 

budget has steadily increased since 2010 and is expected 

to reach $5.7 billion (U.S. dollars) in 2020 and $9.4 billion (U.S. dollars) by 2030 (see fig. 28). Although human 

Fifth Academy of the Ministry

of National Defence

Seventh Ministry of Machine

Building Industry

Ministry of Space Industry

Ministry of Aeronautics

Ministry of Aerospace Industry

+

China Aerospace

Corporation (CAC)

China National Space

Administration (CNSA)

China Aerospace

Science and

Technology

Corporation

(CASC)

China Aerospace

Science and

Industry

Corporation

(CASIC)

October

1956

November

1964

April

1982

July

1988

June

1993

July

1999

Figure 27. Evolution of Chinese space agencies [Source: 

Aliberti, 2015].
JACIE

An Overview of Chinese Earth Observing Systems 31

2010 2012 2014 (f) 2016 (f) 2018 (f) 2020 (f) 2022 (f) 2024 (f) 2026 (f) 2028 (f) 2030 (f)

Year (f, forecasted)

Budget, in billions of U.S. dollars

Percent of budget,

by application

China’s space budget

China's purchasing power 

parity space budget

EXPLANATION

Manned 

spaceflight

27.4 percent

Earth

observation

21.5 percent

Launcher

19.3 percent

Space science

and exploration

10.2 percent

SatNav

10.3 percent

Other

7.3 percent SatCom

4 percent

14

12

10

8

6

2

0

4

16

A B

Figure 28. The pie chart on the left shows China’s space budget breakdown by application [modified from Aliberti, 2015]. The graph on 

the right shows future trends in China’s space budget [modified from Aliberti, 2015].

spaceflight accounts for the highest allocation in China’s space 

budget, Earth observation received the second largest share 

with 21.5 percent of the space budget in 2012 (Aliberti, 2015). 

The Chinese Earth observation systems address key areas 

such as weather, oceans, disaster monitoring, and land mapping. These Earth observing satellites have been launched by 

government and commercial agencies. Some of these Chinese 

Earth observing systems are detailed below.

Government/Civil Satellites

Fengyun

Fengyun (FY), meaning “wind and cloud” in Chinese, are 

China’s series of meteorological satellites. Since the launch of 

FY-1A in 1988, the mission has been in continuous operation 

with eight satellites currently in orbit. The FY-1 and 3 series of 

satellites are polar orbiting, whereas the FY-2 and 4 series of 

satellites are in geostationary orbits. FY-1C and FY-1D carry 

a 10-band Multichannel Visible Infrared Scanning Radiometer with 5 bands corresponding to NOAA’s Advanced Very 

High-Resolution Radiometer and the other 5 consisting of 

4 visible bands and 1 infrared band. The FY-2 satellites carry a 

4-band Stretched-Visible and Infrared Spin-Scan Radiometer. 

The Multichannel Visible Infrared Scanning Radiometer and 

Stretched-Visible and Infrared Spin-Scan Radiometer have a 

ground sample distance (GSD) of 1 km at nadir. FY-3 carries 

a 25-band Medium Resolution Spectral Imager, which has a 

GSD of 250 m in VNIR and 1 km in the other bands. The FY-4 

satellites carry a 13-band Advanced Geostationary Radiation 

Imager providing a GSD of 1 km in VNIR, 2 km in shortwave 

infrared and midwave infrared, and 4 km in thermal infrared 

(Jingsong and others, 2010). 

Huanjing

China’s disaster monitoring satellite constellation is 

called Huanjing (HJ), which translates to “environment.” This 

smallsat constellation was planned for launch in two batches. 

The first batch contained three satellites: HJ-1A, HJ-1B, and 

HJ-1C. Both HJ-1A and HJ-1B were launched in 2009, followed by HJ-1C in 2013. HJ-1A carries a VNIR hyperspectral 

imager with a 50-km swath and a 100-m GSD. HJ-1B carries 

an infrared imager with a 720-km swath and a 150-m GSD. 

Both HJ-1A and HJ-1B operate in SSOs and carry a common 

wide-view camera imaging with a 700-km swath and a 30-m 

GSD. HJ-1C is in a dawn-dusk orbit with SAR. The second 

batch (HJ-2) consists of eight satellites and is planned for 

launch in future years.

Haiyang

China’s ocean monitoring series of satellites is called 

Haiyang (HY), which translates to “ocean.” The first satellite 

of the HY series, HY-1A, was launched in 2002. The constellation is currently operational with HY-1B and HY-2A in orbit 

and 15 more satellites planned. The HY satellites operate in 

SSOs. The HY-1 satellites carry a Chinese Ocean Color and 

Temperature Scanner and a Coastal Zone Imager, whereas the 

HY-2 and 3 satellites carry radar altimeters and SARs. The 

Chinese Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner images the 

Earth in VNIR and TIR bands at a GSD of 1.1 km, and the 

Coastal Zone Imager images at a GSD of 250-m VNIR bands 

(Xingwei and Mingsen, 2015).
JACIE

32 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Ziyuan

The Ziyuan (ZY), which is Chinese for “resource,” series 

of satellites is dedicated to Earth resources detection and 

monitoring. The ZY-1 series, also known as the China-Brazil 

Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS), is a collaboration between 

Brazil’s space agency, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, and China’s CNSA. A total of four satellites have been 

launched to date, and CBERS-4A (ZY-1 04A) is planned for 

launch in 2019. Each ZY-1 (CBERS) satellite carries a wideview camera, a panchromatic and multispectral imager, and an 

infrared imager, each providing imagery at different ground 

resolutions. The data are freely available through the Instituto 

Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais data portal: http://www.inpe.

br/dados_abertos/. The ZY-2 and ZY-3 series of satellites are 

built and operated by China for civil and military purposes. An 

artist’s model of the currently operational CBERS-4 satellite is 

shown in figure 29.

Gaofen

Gaofen (GF), meaning “high resolution,” is known as the 

China High Resolution Earth Observing System. Gaofen is a 

constellation of high-resolution satellites launched over the 

past 5 years. The GF 1, GF 1-02, GF 1-03, GF 1-04, and GF 6 

satellites carry the first-generation panchromatic and multispectral camera, whereas the GF 2, GF 8, and GF 9 satellites 

carry the second-generation panchromatic and multispectral 

camera, capable of imaging with submeter resolution. Unlike 

the other GF satellites, which operate in SSOs, GF 4 is positioned in a geostationary orbit. In addition to the panchromatic 

and multispectral camera, GF 3 carries a SAR instrument. 

GF 5 carries a hyperspectral imager in VNIR bands and a 

multispectral sensor like the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal 

Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on 

the Terra satellite (Zhang and others, 2014). 

Yaogan

Yaogan is a constellation of reconnaissance satellites similar to the U.S. Department of Defense Naval Ocean Surveillance System triplet satellites. China has launched 31 Yaogan 

satellites into SSOs of differing altitudes. The orbits indicate 

that the satellites carry different payloads, some of which 

include electronic intelligence systems, SAR instruments, and 

high-resolution imagers. The timeline of Chinese Government/

civil satellites is shown in figure 30.

Figure 29. Artist’s view of China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite 

CBERS-4 [Source: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais].

Platform (group)

1991 1996 2001 2006 2011 2016 2021 2026 2031 2036 2041

Mission timeline

Fengyun-1

Fengyun-2

Fengyun-3

Fengyun-4

Gao Fen/CHEOS

Haiyang-1

Haiyang-2

Haiyang-3

HuanJing-1A

HuanJing-1B

HuanJing-1C

ZY-II & III

Figure 30. Timeline of Chinese Earth observing systems.
JACIE

References Cited 33

Commercial Satellites

Superview

The Superview satellite constellation by Beijing Space 

View Technology Co., Ltd., consists of four satellites that were 

launched in batches of two in 2016 and 2017. The satellites are 

phased 90 ° in relation to each other in an SSO, providing a 

revisit of 2 days for imaging any point on the Earth. They each 

carry a panchromatic camera with a 0.5-m GSD and a multispectral camera with a 2-m GSD. Both sensors cover a 12-km 

swath. 

Zhuhai

Zhuhai Orbita Aerospace Science and Technology 

(formerly named Zhuhai Control Engineering, Ltd.) built the 

Zhuhai constellation of satellites with high-resolution video 

and hyperspectral capabilities. An additional round of satellites 

launched in 2018 includes 4 OHS-2 satellites capable of imaging the Earth in 5 days and 1 video satellite, OVS-2, providing 

video of the Earth at a 0.9-m resolution.

Jilin

The Jilin constellation of satellites, operated by Chang 

Guang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd., is operational with its 

first batch of 4 satellites—2 video, 1 optical, and 1 technology demonstration. The constellation is planned to increase to 

60 satellites by 2020 and 140 satellites by 2030.

Triplesat

The Triplesat constellation of three satellites was built 

by Surrey Satellite Technology, Ltd. (SSTL). Twenty First 

Century Aerospace Technology (21AT) leases the imaging 

capabilities of the Triplesat-1 satellites and collects, archives, 

and distributes the data. The Triplesat satellites were launched 

in 2015 and placed in SSOs. They image the Earth at a GSD 

of 1 m in panchromatic and 4 m in VNIR. SSTL-S1 was 

launched in 2018, and the data are archived and distributed by 

21AT.

References Cited

Aliberti, M., 2015, When China goes to the moon: Switzerland, Springer, p. 7–43.

Euroconsult, 2013, Government space markets—world prospects to 2022, 4th ed.: Paris, Euroconsult, 2013, 220 p.

Jingsong, W., Zhang, J., and Yunqiu, T., 2010, Fengyun satellites—Achievements and future: Chinese Journal of Space 

Science, v. 30, no. 5, p. 468–473.

Xingwei, J., and Mingsen, L., 2015, Ocean observations from 

Haiyang satellites—2012–2014: Beijing, National Satellite 

Ocean Application Service, p. 191–201.

Zhang, L., Liu, Y., Zhang, X., Wang, J., Zeng, L., Xue, Y., 

and Tong, Q., 2014, Progress in Chinese satellite hyperspectral missions: Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 40 p., accessed 

August 2018 at https://www.grss-ieee.org/wp-content/

uploads/2014/12/2014_07_ISIS_Session1_Mission/1030_

zhanlf-IGARSS-20140716.pdf.
Green shades seem to be bubbling up like a lava lamp on the left side of this image from northeastern Kenya. 

The right side is like rusted metal. The dark green is the result of geologically recent lava flows, and the other 

colors are different types of soils. Even with few defined shapes, the piece has a strange beauty.
JACIE

Appendix 1. Selected References

Resembling splotches of yellow and green paint, salt-encrusted seasonal lakes dot the floor of Western Australia's Shoemaker 

impact structure. The structure was formed about 1.7 billion years ago and is currently the oldest known impact site in Australia.
JACIE

36 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Appendix 1. Selected References

The staff in the Requirements, Capabilities, and Analysis for Earth Observation Project at the U.S. Geological Survey Earth 

Resources Observation and Science Center used many sources in the process of assembling the data sheets in appendix 3. Commonly, these sources provided conflicting information and the staff chose the best information available. Information obtained 

directly from the satellite manufacturer or associated space agency was given precedence over other sources, when available. 

Several satellites—particularly those still under development or from less established space agencies—had little public information available. Fields of the data sheets denoted with a “—” indicate unknown information. 

The following list of references identifies the sources most frequently used to compile the information provided in appendix 3.

Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, 2018, The CEOS Mission, Instruments and Measurements database online: 

Committee on Earth Observation Satellites web page, accessed May 2018 at http://database.eohandbook.com/index.aspx.

eoPortal, 2018, Satellite Missions database: eoPortal web page, accessed May 2018 at 

https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions.

Krebs, G.D., 2018, Gunter’s space page: Gunter’s space page web page, accessed June 2018 at https://space.skyrocket.de/.

Kulu, E., 2018, Nanosatellite and Cubesat database: Nanosats Database web page, accessed July 2018 at 

https://www.nanosats.eu/.

Spaceflight Now, 2018, Launch schedule: Pole Star Publication, Ltd., web page, accessed May 2018 at 

https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/.

SpaceNews, 2018a, Launch: SpaceNews web page, accessed June 2018 at https://spacenews.com/.

SpaceNews, 2018b, Commercial: SpaceNews web page, accessed July 2018 at https://spacenews.com/.

SpaceNews, 2018c, Civil: SpaceNews web page, accessed July 2018 at https://spacenews.com/.

World Meteorological Organization, 2018, Space-based capabilities (OSCAR/space): World Meteorological Organization web 

page, accessed May 2018 at https://www.wmo-sat.info/oscar/spacecapabilities.
JACIE

Appendix 2. Recent and Future Launches

The northern end of Isla Isabela in the Galapagos looks like a seahorse with warts—with an eye painted in the ancient Egyptian 

style. The island was formed by the merger of six volcanoes. Wolf Volcano is the prominent one in the center; Ecuador Volcano is 

the one that forms the seahorse’s mouth. Past volcanic flows radiate from the large craters.
JACIE

38 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Appendix 2. Recent and Future Launches

The tables below show the recent and future Earth observation satellite launches of the major space agencies identified 

in this circular. The launches from 2017 to 2018 are included in table 2.1, and recent launches in 2019 and planned launches 

beyond 2019 are shown in table 2.2. 

2017–18 Launches

Table 2.1. Earth observation satellite launches of 2017–18.

[Alt. orbit, Alternate orbit; SSO, Sun-synchronous orbit; Co., company; U.S., United States; ESA, European Space Agency; GEO, geosynchronous orbit; 

NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; UK, United Kingdom; SSTL, Surrey Satellite Technology, Ltd.; UAE, United Arab Emirates]

Launch date Spacecraft Orbit Country/owner User

1/9/2017 Jilin-1 03 SSO China/Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. Commercial

2/15/2017 CARTOSAT-2D SSO India Government/civil

2/15/2017 Flock-3p-88 SSO U.S./Planet Commercial

3/7/2017 Sentinel-2B SSO ESA Government/civil

4/20/2017 Silk Road-1 SSO China Government/civil

6/15/2017 Nusat-3 SSO Argentina/Satellogic Commercial

6/15/2017 Zhuhai-1 01 SSO China/Zhuhai Orbita Control Engineering, Ltd. Commercial

6/15/2017 Zhuhai-1 02 SSO China/Zhuhai Orbita Control Engineering, Ltd. Commercial

6/23/2017 CARTOSAT-2E SSO India Government/civil

7/14/2017 Landmapper-BC 1 SSO U.S./Astro Digital Commercial

7/14/2017 Landmapper-BC 2 SSO U.S./Astro Digital Commercial

7/14/2017 Kanopus-V-IK-1 SSO Russia Government/civil

7/14/2017 Flock-2k-48 SSO U.S./Planet Commercial

8/2/2017 Venμs SSO France Government/civil

10/09/2017 VRSS-2 SSO Venezuela Government/civil

8/24/2017 FORMOSAT-5 SSO Taiwan Government/civil

10/9/2017 VRSS-2 SSO Venezuela Government/civil

10/13/2017 Sentinel-5P SSO ESA Government/civil

10/31/2017 Sky Satellite-8-13 SSO U.S./Planet Commercial

10/31/2017 Flock-3m-4 SSO U.S./Planet Commercial

11/8/2017 Mohammed VI-A SSO Morocco Government/civil

11/12/2017 Lemur-2-8 SSO U.S./Spire Global Commercial

11/18/2017 JPSS-1 SSO U.S. Government/civil

11/21/2017 Jilin-1 V-04-06 SSO China/Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. Commercial

11/28/2017 Landmapper-BC 3 SSO U.S./Astro Digital Commercial

11/28/2017 Landmapper-BC 4 SSO U.S./Astro Digital Commercial

11/28/2017 Meteor-M N2-1 SSO Russia Government/civil

12/3/2017 LKW-1 SSO China Government/civil

12/23/2017 LKW-2 SSO China Government/civil

12/23/2017 GCOM-C SSO Japan Government/civil

1/9/2018 SuperView-1 03 SSO China/Superview, Ltd. Commercial
JACIE

Appendix 2 39

Table 2.1. Earth Observation satellite launches of 2017–18.—Continued

[Alt. orbit, Alternate orbit; SSO, Sun-synchronous orbit; Co., company; U.S., United States; ESA, European Space Agency; GEO, geosynchronous orbit; 

NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; UK, United Kingdom; SSTL, Surrey Satellite Technology, Ltd.; UAE, United Arab Emirates]

Launch date Spacecraft Orbit Country/owner User

1/9/2018 SuperView-1 04 SSO China/Superview, Ltd. Commercial

1/12/2018 Landmapper-BC 3v2 SSO U.S./Astro Digital Commercial

1/12/2018 CARTOSAT-2F SSO India Government/civil

1/12/2018 Flock-3p’-4 SSO U.S./Planet Commercial

1/12/2018 Lemur-2-4 SSO U.S./Spire Global Commercial

1/13/2018 LKW-3 SSO China Government/civil

1/19/2018 Jilin-1 V-07 SSO China/Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. Commercial

1/19/2018 Jilin-1 V-08 SSO China/Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. Commercial

1/21/2018 Flock-2 (Dove Pioneer) SSO U.S./Planet Commercial

2/1/2018 Kanopus-V N3 SSO Russia Government/civil

2/1/2018 Kanopus-V N4 SSO Russia Government/civil

2/2/2018 GomSpace Express-4A & -4B SSO ESA/Denmark/GomSpace Public-private

2/2/2018 Nusat-4 SSO Argentina/Satellogic Commercial

2/2/2018 Nusat-5 SSO Argentina/Satellogic Commercial

2/22/2018 PAZ SSO Spain/Hisdesat Military

3/1/2018 GOES-17 GEO U.S./NOAA Government/civil

3/17/2018 LKW-4 SSO China Government/civil

3/31/2018 Gao Fen-1 02 SSO China Government/civil

3/31/2018 Gao Fen-1 03 SSO China Government/civil

3/31/2018 Gao Fen-1 04 SSO China Government/civil

4/25/2018 Sentinel-3B SSO ESA Government/civil

5/8/2018 Gao Fen-5 SSO China Government/civil

6/2/2018 Gao Fen-6 SSO China Government/civil

7/9/2018 PRSS-1 SSO Pakistan Government/civil

7/9/2018 PakTES-1A SSO Pakistan Government/civil

7/12/2018 SaudiSat-5A and 5B SSO Saudi Arabia Government/civil

7/31/2018 Gao Fen-11 SSO China Government/civil

9/7/2018 Haiyang-1C SSO China Government/civil

9/15/2018 ICESAT-2 SSO U.S. Government/civil

9/16/2018 NOVASAR-S SSO UK/SSTL Government/civil

9/16/2018 SSTL-1 SSO UK/SSTL Commercial

10/7/2018 SAOCOM 1A SSO Argentina Government/civil

24/10/2018 Hai Yang 2B SSO China Government/civil

10/29/2018 DubaiSat-3/KhalifaSat SSO UAE Government/civil

11/20/2018 Mohammad VI-B SSO Morocco Government/civil

11/29/2018 Blacksky Global 1 SSO U.S./Blacksky Global Commercial

11/29/2018 HySIS SSO India Government/civil

11/29/2018 Flock-3r-16 SSO U.S./Planet Commercial
JACIE

40 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Table 2.1. Earth observation satellite launches of 2017–18.—Continued

[Alt. orbit, Alternate orbit; SSO, Sun-synchronous orbit; Co., company; U.S., United States; ESA, European Space Agency; GEO, geosynchronous orbit; 

NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; UK, United Kingdom; SSTL, Surrey Satellite Technology, Ltd.; UAE, United Arab Emirates]

Launch date Spacecraft Orbit Country/owner User

12/3/2018 Flock-3s-3 SSO U.S./Planet Commercial

12/3/2018 Denali SSO U.S./Capella Space Commercial

12/3/2018 SkySat-14, 15 SSO U.S./Planet Commercial

12/4/2018 Geo-KOMPSAT 2A GEO Republic of Korea Government/civil

12/27/2018 GRUS-1 SSO Japan/AxelSpace Commercial

12/27/2018 Flock-3k-12 SSO U.S./Planet Commercial

2019 and Beyond

Table 2.2. Earth observation satellite launches of 2019 and beyond.

[SSO, Sun-synchronous orbit; Co., company; U.S., United States; GEO, geosynchronous orbit; ESA, European Space Agency]

Launch date Spacecraft Orbit Country/owner User

1/21/2019 Jilin-1 Hyperspectral-01 & 02 SSO China/Chang Guang Satellite 

Technology Co.

Commercial

1/21/2019 Lingque-1A SSO China Commercial

1/24/2019 Microsat-R SSO India Government/civil

2/21/2019 EgyptSat A SSO Egypt Government/civil

3/21/2019 PRISMA SSO Italy Government/civil

3/27/2019 Lingque-1B SSO China Commercial

4/1/2019 Flock-4a SSO U.S./Planet Commercial

4/29/2019 Tianhui-2-01 A & B SSO China Government/civil

5/22/2019 RISAT-2B SSO India Government/civil

06/11/2019 RCM SSO Canada Government/civil

06/xx/2019 CBERS-4A SSO China/Brazil Government/civil

08/xx/2019 Landmapper-BC 5 & 6 SSO U.S./Astro Digital Commercial

10/xx/2019 Ingenio SSO Spain Government/civil

2019 Blacksky Global-4 SSO U.S./Blacksky Global Commercial

2019 Gao Fen-7 SSO China Government/civil

2019 Nusat-6 to 21 SSO Argentina/Satellogic Commercial

2019 Jilin Video-09 to 12 SSO China/Chang Guang Satellite 

Technology Co.

Commercial

2019 WorldView Scout Constellation Mixed SSO/midlatitude Maxar/U.S. Commercial

2019 Sequoia Mixed SSO/midlatitude Maxar/U.S. Commercial

2019 COSMO-SkyMed SSO Italy Government/civil

2019 Cartosat-3 SSO India Government/civil

2019 Geo Imaging Satellite-1 GEO India Government/civil

2019 Resourcesat-3 SSO India Government/civil

2020 Resourcesat-3A SSO India Government/civil

2020 Hai Yang 2C SSO China Government/civil

2020 OceanSat-3 & 3A SSO India Government/civil
JACIE

Table 2.2. Earth observation satellite launches of 2019 and beyond.—Continued

[SSO, Sun-synchronous orbit; Co., company; U.S., United States; GEO, geosynchronous orbit; Alt. orbit, Alternate orbit; ESA, European Space Agency]

Launch date Spacecraft Orbit Country/owner User

2020 Landsat-9 SSO U.S. Government/civil

2020 RISAT-1A SSO India Government/civil

2020 Jilin-1 02A SSO China/Chang Guang Satellite 

Technology Co.

Commercial

2020 GCOM-C2 SSO Japan Government/civil

2020 Flock SSO U.S./Planet Commercial

2020 EnMAP SSO Germany Government/civil

2020 Geo-KOMPSAT 2B GEO Republic of Korea Government/civil

2020 Kompsat-6 SSO Republic of Korea Government/civil

2020 CARTOSAT-3A SSO India Government/civil

2020 Hai Yang 3A SSO China Government/civil

2020 Amazonia-1 SSO Brazil Government/civil

2020 CAS500 SSO Republic of Korea Government/civil

2020 GOES-T GEO U.S. Government/civil

2020 GEO-CAPE GEO U.S. Government/civil

2020 COSMO-SkyMed-2 SSO Italy Government/civil

2020 RISAT-2A SSO India Government/civil

2020 Resourcesat-3S & 3SA SSO India Government/civil

2020 SAOCOM 1B SSO Argentina Government/civil

2020 HRSAT SSO India Government/civil

2020 Sentinel-6A Alt. orbit ESA Government/civil

2020 Sentinel-3C SSO ESA Government/civil

2020 Sentinel-2C SSO ESA Government/civil

2021 Sentinel-2D SSO ESA Government/civil

2021 JPSS-2 SSO U.S. Government/civil

2021 WorldView Legion Constellation Mixed SSO/midlatitude Maxar/U.S. Commercial

2021 CBERS-5 SSO China/Brazil Government/civil

2021 RISAT-1B SSO India Government/civil

2021 Kompsat-7 SSO Republic of Korea Government/civil

2021 Resurs-P N4 SSO Russia Government/civil

2021 Resurs-P N5 SSO Russia Government/civil

2021 Biomass SSO ESA Government/Civil

2021 SWOT SSO U.S. Government/civil

2021 NISAR SSO India/U.S. Government/civil

2021 Sentinel-1C SSO ESA Government/civil

2022 Sentinel-3D SSO ESA Government/civil

2022 PACE SSO U.S. Government/civil

2022 FLEX SSO ESA Government/civil

2022 SABIA-Mar 1 SSO Argentina/Brazil Government/civil

2022 Tandem-L SSO Germany Government/civil

2023 HyspIRI SSO U.S. Government/civil

2023 Sentinel-1D SSO ESA Government/civil

Appendix 2 41
The Ganges River forms an extensive delta where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. The delta is largely covered with a swamp 

forest known as the Sunderbans, which is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger.
Appendix 3. Land Remote Sensing Satellite Data Sheets

The main feature here, near Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas, is the Schooner Cays shoal complex. The tidal sand ridges, 

parabolic bars, and intervening channels explode in a blue rhythm. The Bahamas have the third most extensive coral reef in the 

world. Source: Landsat 8.
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

44 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

1HOPSat

United States

Commercial

Future

Platform Overview

Hera System’s first-generation High Optical Performance Satellites (1HOPSat) will be high-resolution, multispectral satellites for monitoring change. The 1HOPSat 

satellites are being developed within the Hera Systems company, based in San Jose, California. The 1HOPSat satellites 

are based on a 12U cubesat envelope. Their high-altitude 

airborne testing program is scheduled to begin late 2018 

with initial launches to follow in 2019. The constellation is 

designed to consist of 50 satellites. With broad daily coverage, the constellation is proposed to enable data-purchasing 

organizations to monitor Earth changes at any location on the 

globe.

[Abbreviations in tables: —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; 

km, kilometer; m, meter]

Launch date 2020 (planned)

Platform owner Hera Systems

Altitude —

Orbit period —

Inclination —

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat —

Design lifetime —

Status Development

System website http://www.herasys.com/

Artistic rendering of 1HOPSat in orbit [Source: Hera Systems 

Inc., 2019, used with permission].

Sensor Information

1HOPSat Imager

GSD (m) 1

Swath (km) —

Data portal —

1HOPSat Imager

The imager aboard the 1HOPSat satellites will provide 

1 m ground sample distance (GSD) imagery with 8 bands. 

The 1-m GSD imagery will be sold for $1.00 per square 

kilometer.
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 45

ALOS-2

Japan

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Advanced Optical Satellite (ALOS)-2 is a follow-on 

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite of the ALOS mission launched in 2014 by the Japan Aerospace Exploration 

Agency (JAXA) on an H-IIA launch vehicle from Tanegashima Space Center for Earth resources monitoring. This 

is the second satellite in the ALOS mission. The ALOS-2 

satellite was developed by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation 

(MELCO) for JAXA. It carries an advanced L-band radar 

to continue observations of the ALOS Phased Array type 

L-band SAR (PALSAR). While imaging with SAR, ALOS-2 

uses a Compact Infrared Camera (CIRC) to aid the detection 

of wildfires.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

TIR, thermal infrared; H, horizontal; V, vertical]

Launch date 05/24/2014

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner JAXA

Altitude 628 km

Orbit period 97.26 min

Inclination 97.9°

Crossing time 12:00 DN

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/ALOS-2/en/

about/overview.htm

Sensor Information

PALSAR CIRC

GSD (m) 3–100 (selectable) 200

Swath (km) 25–350 (selectable) —

Data portal https://www.asf.alaska.edu/sar-data/palsar/

Artistic rendering of ALOS-2 in orbit [Source: JAXA, used with 

permission].

PALSAR-2 image over Mt. Calbuco volcano region, Chile 

[Source: JAXA, used with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

46 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

ALOS-2—Continued

Japan

Civil/Government

Operational

PALSAR

The Phases Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar-2 (PALSAR-2) is a proven design by MELCO used on ADEOS and 

ALOS-1. PALSAR-2 operates based on Active Array Phased Technology (APAA), allowing various observation modes in 

single, dual, full, and compact polarizations. PALSAR operates in the L-band with a selectable frequency of 1,236.5 MHz 

(λ = 24.2 cm), 1,257.5 MHz (λ = 23.8 cm), or 1,278.5 MHz (λ = 23.4 cm). The sensor can cover a wide range of incidence 

angles from 8 to 70 degrees.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width 

(km)

Approximate resolution 

(m)

Spotlight Single HH, HV, VV 25 x 25 3 x 1

Stripmap (ultra-fine) Single HH, HV, VV 50 3

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH

Stripmap (high-sensitive) Single HH, HV, VV 50 6

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH

CP Circular, 45° linear

Quad HH/HV/VV/VH 30

Stripmap (fine) Single HH, HV, VV 70 10

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH

CP Circular, 45° linear

Quad HH/HV/VV/VH 30

ScanSAR Single HH, HV, VV 350 100

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH

CIRC

The Compact Infrared Camera (CIRC) is a single band thermal infrared demonstration instrument of JAXA developed 

as a COTS product by MELCO. CIRC provides infrared imagery for wildfire detection. The resolution of CIRC is less than 

200 m at nadir.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

TIR 8.000 10.000 12.000 200
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 47

ALOS-3

Japan

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

ALOS-3 is an Earth-resource-monitoring high-resolution, hyper-and multispectral satellite of the ALOS by JAXA 

series planned for launch in 2019. This is the third satellite in 

the ALOS mission. The ALOS-3 satellite is being developed 

by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO) for JAXA 

based on the ALOS-2 bus with some modifications. It carries an advanced Panchromatic Remote-Sensing Instrument 

for Stereo Mapping-2 (PRISM-2) and Hyperspectral and 

multispectral imager (HISUI) sensors for high- and mediumresolution land imaging, respectively.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; —, no 

data; Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near-infrared; TIR, thermal infrared; Hyper, 

hyperspectral]

Launch date 2020 (Planned)

Design lifetime 7 years

Platform owner JAXA

Altitude 669 km

Orbit period 98.12 min

Inclination 98.06°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 35 days

Status Development

System website http://global.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/alos3/

Artistic rendering of ALOS-3 in orbit [Source: JAXA, used with 

permission].

Sensor Information

PRISM-2 HISUI

GSD (m) 0.8 5, 30

Swath (km) 50 90, 30

Data portal —
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

48 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

ALOS-3—Continued

Japan

Civil/Government

Future

PRISM-2

The PRISM-2 is a proven design by MELCO used on ALOS-1. The instrument will acquire stereo pair images from two 

telescopes for stereo mapping and digital surface models (DSMs). PRISM-2 will be able to collect high-resolution images 

with high geolocation accuracy without ground control points. PRISM-2 data will be commercially available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.500 0.635 0.770 0.8

HISUI

The HISUI has heritage of the ASTER sensor flown on board the Terra satellite. The HISUI sensor is a combination 

of hyperspectral and multispectral sensors operating together to achieve better spatial and spectral data. The hyperspectral 

imager has 185 bands. HISUI data will be commercially available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 5

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 5

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 5

NIR 0.760 0.830 0.900 5

Hyper 0.400 1.450 2.500 30
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 49

ALOS-4

Japan

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

Advanced Optical Satellite (ALOS)-4 is a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) 

satellite under development by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency 

(JAXA) for Earth resources monitoring. It is the fourth satellite of the ALOS 

mission and is designed to replace ALOS-2. The ALOS-4 platform is being 

developed by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO). ALOS-4 carries the 

Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar-3 (PALSAR-3) instrument to 

continue observations of the ALOS PALSAR instruments. ALOS-4 will also 

carry a Space based Automatic Identification System Experiment (SPAISE3) 

receiver to monitor oceans for ships.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; —, no data; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter]

Launch date 2020 (Planned)

Design lifetime 7 years

Platform owner JAXA

Altitude 628 km

Orbit period 97.26 min

Inclination —

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat —

Status Development

System website http://global.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/alos4/

Artistic rendering of ALOS-4 in orbit [Source: 

JAXA, used with permission].

Sensor Information

PALSAR-3

GSD (m) 1–10 (selectable)

Swath (km) 35–700 (selectable)

Data portal —

PALSAR-3

The PALSAR-3 instrument is a proven design by MELCO used on ADEOS, ALOS-1, and ALOS-2. PALSAR-3 uses 

Active Array Phased Technology (APAA), allowing various observation modes in single, dual, full, and compact polarizations. The instrument operates in the L-band, which has a center frequency of 1.5 GHz (λ = 20.0 cm). The angle of incidence 

is 8–70 degrees.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width (km) Approximate resolution (m)

Stripmap — — 100–200 3, 6, 10

ScanSAR — — 700 25

Spotlight — — 35 x 35 1 x 3
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

50 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

AlSat-1B

Algeria

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Algeria Satellite-1B (AlSat-1B) is a medium-resolution, 

panchromatic, and multispectral microsatellite launched in 

2016 on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. Its primary mission is to ensure the continuity of the national coverage provided by AlSat-1 and the collective coverage of the Disaster 

Monitoring Constellation (DMC).

AlSat-1B was built by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) and the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL), with 

ASAL’s engineers undertaking the integration and test phases 

in Algeria. The microsatellite is based on the SSTL-100 

platform. VNIR imagery is captured at 24 m resolution by 

the Algerian Imager Telescope (ALITE) and is used by the 

Algerian Government.

Artistic rendering of AlSat-1B 

[Source: ASAL, used with 

permission].

ALITE sensor model 

[Source: ASAL, used 

with permission].

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; —, no data; 

Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 9/26/2016

Platform owner ASAL

Altitude 690 km

Orbit period 97.7 min

Inclination 98.2°

Crossing time 10:30 AN

Nadir repeat 5 days

Design lifetime 5 years

Status Operational

System website http://www.asal.dz/Alsat-1B.php

Sensor Information

ALITE

GSD (m) 12, 24

Swath (km) 140

Data portal —

ALITE

The ALITE aboard AlSat-1B is a new design developed by SSTL and ASAL. By combining the 24 m multispectral data 

and the 12 m panchromatic data, AlSat-1B can capture 12 m enhanced multispectral images.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.598 0.745 12

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 24

Green 0.530 0.560 0.590 24

Red 0.625 0.660 0.695 24

NIR 0.760 0.825 0.890 24
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 51

AlSat-2A and 2B

Algeria

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

AlSat-2A and AlSat-2B are high-resolution, panchromatic, and multispectral satellites for Earth observation. 

AlSat-2A was launched in 2010 aboard the Polar Satellite 

Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C15 followed by AlSat-2B in 2016 

aboard the PSLV-C35 launch vehicle. AlSat-2 is the first 

satellite system to use the AstroSat-100 (AS-100) platform, 

which was based on the Myriade platform from the French 

National Center for Space Studies (CNES).

Algerian Space Agency (ASAL) signed an agreement 

with European Aeronautics Defense and Space (EADS) 

Astrium SAS to design and build the two AlSat-2 satellites. 

AlSat-2B was successfully integrated by ASAL’s engineers 

in Algeria. AlSat-2A and 2B carry the New AstroSat Optical 

Modular Instrument (NAOMI) sensor for high-resolution 

imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meter; —, no data; Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near infrared]

AlSat-2A AlSat-2B

Launch date 7/12/2010 9/26/2016

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner ASAL

Altitude 670 km 720 km

Orbit period 98 min 99.19 min

Inclination 98.23° 98.1°

Crossing time 9:30 DN 8:45 AN

Nadir repeat 14 days 2 days

Status Operational

System website http://www.asal.dz/

Alsat-2A.php

http://www.asal.dz/

Alsat-2B.php

Sensor Information

NAOMI

GSD (m) 1.5, 6

Swath (km) 17.5

Data portal —

Artistic rendering of AlSat-2A in orbit [Source: Airbus DS, 

used with permission].

Athens, Greece, captured by AlSat-2A [Source: ASAL, used with 

permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

52 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

AlSat-2A and 2B—Continued

Algeria

Civil/Government

Operational

NAOMI

The NAOMI sensor is a high-resolution imager developed by EADS Astrium SAS for AlSat-2. The pushbroom imager 

has four visible and near infrared bands and a panchromatic band. Data are for use by the Algerian government.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.598 0.745 1.5

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 6

Green 0.530 0.560 0.590 6

Red 0.625 0.660 0.695 6

NIR 0.760 0.825 0.890 6
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 53

Amazônia 1

Brazil

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

Amazônia 1 is a medium-resolution multispectral satellite to be launched in late 2020 by National Institute of Space 

Research (INPE) for monitoring deforestation, especially 

in the Amazon region. Amazônia 1 is the first satellite to be 

completely designed, integrated, and tested in Brazil. The 

satellite utilizes the Multi-Mission Platform (PMM) designed 

by the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB). Amazônia 1 will 

carry the Wide Field Imager (WFI)-2 sensor for mediumresolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending 

node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; —, no data; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 2020 (Planned)

Design lifetime 2 years

Platform owner INPE

Altitude 752 km

Orbit period 99.9 min

Inclination 98.4°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 26 days

Status Development

System website http://www3.inpe.br/amazonia-1/

Sensor Information

WFI-2

GSD (m) 60

Swath (km) 740

Data portal —

Artistic rendering of 

Amazônia 1 [Source: INPE].

WFI-2 sensor model [Source: INPE].

WFI-2

The WFI-2 is the same sensor as the WFI sensors aboard the China–Brazil Earth Resources Satellites; however, since 

they are at different altitudes, the resolutions are different.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.475 0.500 60

Green 0.520 0.545 0.570 60

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 60

NIR 0.760 0.830 0.900 60
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

54 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Aqua

United States

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Aqua is a moderate-resolution multispectral satellite 

launched in 2002 by the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA) on a Delta-II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base for Earth resources monitoring. Formerly named Earth Observing System (EOS) PM, signifying 

its afternoon crossing time, Aqua is the second satellite in the 

EOS mission.

The Aqua satellite was built by Northrop Grumman 

Corp. based on their modular, standardized T330 bus for 

NASA. Aqua carries six instruments: Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS), Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit 

(AMSU), Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System 

(CERES), Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer 

(MODIS), Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for 

EOS (AMSR-E), and Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB). 

For this compendium of land remote sensing satellites, only 

MODIS details are provided.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometers; min, minute; °, degree; 

AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meters; CA, coastal 

aerosol; NIR, near infrared; SWIR, shortwave infrared, MWIR, midwave 

infrared; WV, water vapor; TIR, thermal infrared]

Launch date 5/4/2002

Design lifetime 6 years

Platform owner NASA

Altitude 705 km

Orbit period 98.8 min

Inclination 98.2°

Crossing time 13:30 AN

Nadir repeat 16 days

Status Operational

System website https://aqua.nasa.gov/

Sensor Information

MODIS

GSD (m) 250, 500, 1,000

Swath (km) 2,230

Data portal https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/

https://glovis.usgs.gov/app

Artistic rendering of Aqua in orbit [Source: NASA].

MODIS image of northwest Australia showing forest fires 

[Source: NASA].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 55

Aqua—Continued

United States

Civil/Government

Operational

MODIS

The MODIS sensor is a proven design built by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and is a heritage of Radiation Sounder (HIRS), Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM), and Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS). MODIS, which is on board 

the Terra and Aqua satellites, is a 36-band spectroradiometer measuring visible and infrared radiation. The MODIS sensors 

are widely regarded as among the best calibrated imaging instruments in space. MODIS data are freely available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

CA 0.405 0.413 0.420 1,000

CA 0.438 0.443 0.448 1,000

Blue 0.459 0.469 0.479 500

Blue 0.483 0.488 0.493 1,000

Blue 0.526 0.531 0.536 1,000

Green 0.545 0.555 0.565 500

Green 0.546 0.551 0.556 1,000

Red 0.620 0.645 0.670 250

Red 0.662 0.667 0.672 1,000

Red 0.673 0.678 0.683 1,000

NIR 0.743 0.748 0.753 1,000

NIR 0.841 0.859 0.876 250

NIR 0.862 0.870 0.877 1,000

NIR 0.890 0.905 0.920 1,000

NIR 0.915 0.940 0.965 1,000

NIR 0.931 0.936 0.941 1,000

NIR 1.230 1.240 1.250 500

Cirrus 1.360 1.375 1.390 1,000

SWIR 1 1.628 1.640 1.652 500

SWIR 2 2.105 2.130 2.155 500

MWIR 3.660 3.750 3.840 1,000

MWIR 3.929 3.959 3.989 1,000

MWIR 4.020 4.050 4.080 1,000

MWIR 4.433 4.466 4.498 1,000

MWIR 4.482 4.516 4.549 1,000

WV-1 6.535 6.715 6.895 1,000

WV-2 7.175 7.325 7.475 1,000

TIR 8.400 8.550 8.700 1,000

TIR 9.580 9.730 9.880 1,000

TIR 10.780 11.030 11.280 1,000

TIR 11.770 12.020 12.270 1,000

TIR 13.185 13.335 13.485 1,000

TIR 13.485 13.635 13.785 1,000

TIR 13.785 13.935 14.085 1,000

TIR 14.085 14.235 14.385 1,000
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

56 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Biomass

European Space Agency

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

Biomass is a low-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar 

(SAR) satellite to be launched in 2021 to determine the 

amount of biomass and carbon stored in forests. Biomass 

will be ESA’s seventh Earth Explorer. The satellite will be 

built by Airbus Defense and Space. Biomass will carry the 

P-SAR sensor for low-resolution radar data.

Artistic rendering of Biomass in orbit [Source: Airbus DS, used 

with permission].

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; AN, ascending node; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; —, no data]

Launch date 2021 (Planned)

Platform owner ESA

Altitude 660 km

Orbit period 97.93 min

Inclination 97.97°

Crossing time 6:00 AN

Nadir repeat 17 days

Design lifetime 5 years

Status Development

System website http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/

The_Living_Planet_Programme/Earth_Explorers/Future_

missions/Biomass

Sensor Information

P-SAR

GSD (m) 200

Swath (km) —

Data portal —

P-SAR

The P-band SAR instrument will be built by Airbus DS. Harris Corporation has been selected to provide the 12-m reflector and boom assembly, a major component of the instrument. P-SAR will operate in the P-band at 435 MHz (λ = 68.9 cm). 

The angle of incidence will be 23–35 degrees. Details of the beam modes are not yet available.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width (km) Approximate resolution (m)

— — — —
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 57

Capella 1/Denali

United States

Commercial

Operational

Platform Overview

Capella 1 is a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) 

satellite launched in 2018 by Capella Space for commercial use. The satellite was built on a 12U cubesat. 

The satellite is planned to be a part of a 36-satellite 

constellation.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meter]

Launch date 12/03/2018

Platform owner Capella Space

Altitude 575 km

Orbit period 96.16 min

Inclination 97.68°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat —

Design lifetime —

Status Operations

System website https://www.capellaspace.com/

Capella 1 SAR satellite. [Source: Capella Space, used with permission].

Sensor Information

SAR

GSD (m) 0.5

Swath (km) 7

Data portal —

SAR

The X-band (9.4–9.9 gigahertz) SAR sensor will provide cloud-free data, which will be commercially available. Beam mode details are shown in the table.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width 

(km)

Approximate resolution 

(m)

SPOT Single HH, VV 5 km 0.3 × 0.5

SITE Single HH, VV 5 km 0.5 × 0.5

STRIP Single HH, VV 5 km 1.0 × 7.0

SCAN Single HH, VV 7 km 2.5 × 1.7
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

58 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Cartosat-1

India

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Cartosat-1 is a high-resolution satellite launched in 

2005 by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) 

on Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-5 from Satish 

Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) for Earth resources monitoring. This is the first mission in the Cartosat series and a part 

of the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) series.

The Cartosat series was designed and built by ISRO and 

uses the IRS-1 bus and two panchromatic cameras. Panchromatic imagery is gathered on a global scale to provide 

stereo pairs required for generating digital elevation models 

(DEMs), ortho image products, and value-added products for 

various GIS applications.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; Pan, panchromatic; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meter; Pan, panchromatic]

Launch date 5/5/2005

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude 618 km

Orbit period 97 min

Inclination 97.87°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 126 days

Design lifetime 7 years

Status Operational

System website https://nrsc.gov.in/CARTOSAT-1

Artistic rendering of Cartosat-1 

[Source: ISRO, used with permission].

Cartosat-1 imagery of Adana, Turkey 

[Source: ISRO, used with permission].

Sensor Information

PAN-FORE PAN-AFT

GSD (m) 2.45 2.19

Swath (km) 29.42 26.24

Data portal http://uops.nrsc.gov.in:33333/ImgeosUops/

FinalImgeosUops/FinalImgeosUops.html

PAN-FORE and PAN-AFT

The panchromatic camera system aboard Cartosat-1 is a design from ISRO. The Pan Cam is a set of two imagers, one 

looking forward (PAN-FORE) and other aft (PAN-AFT) of the satellite with a combined swath of about 30 km. Both sensors 

acquire images at a resolution of 2.5 m with a time difference of about 52 seconds.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.500 0.675 0.850 2.19

Pan 0.500 0.675 0.850 2.45
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 59

Cartosat-2, -2A, and -2B

India

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Cartosat-2, -2A, and -2B are high-resolution satellites 

launched in 2007, 2008, and 2010, respectively, by the Indian Space 

Research Organization (ISRO) on Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle 

(PSLV) from Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) for Earth 

resources monitoring. These missions continue the Cartosat series 

that has been in continual operation since the launch of Cartosat-1 

in 2005.

The Cartosat-2, -2A, and -2B satellites were designed and built 

by ISRO and use the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS)-1 bus 

and two panchromatic cameras. Panchromatic imagery is gathered 

on a global scale to provide stereo pairs required for generating 

digital elevation models (DEMs), Ortho Image products, and valueadded products for various GIS applications.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending 

node; Pan, panchromatic; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter]

Cartosat-2 Cartosat-2A Cartosat-2B

Launch date 10/1/2007 4/28/2008 7/12/2010

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude 635 km

Orbit period 97.4 min

Inclination 97.87°

Crossing time 9:30 DN

Nadir repeat 5 days

Status Operational

System website https://www.isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/cartosat-2-0

Model of Cartosat-2 [Source: ISRO, used with permission].

A 1-meter panchromatic Cartosat-2 image of Bangalore, 

India [Source: ISRO, used with permission].

Sensor Information

PAN

GSD (m) 0.8

Swath (km) 9.6

Data portal http://uops.nrsc.gov.in:33333/ImgeosUops/

FinalImgeosUops/FinalImgeosUops.html

PAN

The Panchromatic Camera (PAN) is a design from ISRO. The 

camera is a nadir-pointing pushbroom CCD instrument observing in 

the spectral range of 0.5–0.85 μm with a swath of 9.6 km providing 

a ground sample distance of less than 1 m at nadir.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.650 0.850 0.8
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

60 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Cartosat-2C, -2D, -2E, and -2F

India

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

Platform Overview

Cartosat-2C, -2D, -2E, and -2F are high-resolution satellites launched between 2016 and 2018 by the Indian Space 

Research Organization (ISRO) on a Polar Satellite Launch 

Vehicle (PSLV) from Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) 

for Earth resources monitoring. These missions continue the 

Cartosat series that has been in continual operation since the 

launch of Cartosat-1 in 2005.

The Cartosat-2C, -2D, -2E, and -2F satellites were 

designed and built by ISRO and use the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS)-1 bus and two imagers: a high-resolution 

multispectral camera and a panchromatic imager. Imagery in 

panchromatic and visible and near infrared bands is gathered 

on a global scale for cartographic applications.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; ; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

NIR, near infrared; Pan, panchromatic]

Cartosat-2C Cartosat-2D Cartosat-2E Cartosat-2F

Launch date 6/22/2016 2/15/2017 6/23/2017 1/12/2018

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude 500 km

Orbit period 97.4 min

Inclination 97.87°

Crossing time 9:30 DN

Nadir repeat 5 days

Status Operational

System website https://www.isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/cartosat-2-series-satellite-2

Sensor Information

HRMS PAN

GSD (m) 2 0.65

Swath (km) 10 9.6

Data portal http://uops.nrsc.gov.in:33333/ImgeosUops/

FinalImgeosUops/FinalImgeosUops.html

Cartosat-2E undergoing solar panel deployment test 

[Source: ISRO, used with permission].

Multispectral Cartosat-2 imagery of Bhidaurya, 

Uttar Pradesh, India [Source: ISRO, used with 

permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 61

Cartosat-2C, -2D, -2E, and -2F—

Continued

India

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

HRMS

The High Resolution multispectral (HRMS) sensor is a design by ISRO. The four-channel radiometer has a 10-km swath 

width at a ground sample distance (GSD) of 2 m in multispectral mode.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 2

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 2

Red 0.600 0.645 0.690 2

NIR 0.770 0.830 0.890 2

PAN

The Panchromatic Imager (PAN) was built by ISRO and has a similar swath to the previous Cartosat-2 satellites but with 

higher revisit capability. It provides panchromatic imagery at a GSD of 0.65 m for stereoscopic applications.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.650 0.850 0.65
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

62 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Cartosat-3

India

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

Cartosat-3 is a high-resolution multispectral satellite planned to be launched in 2019 on a Polar Satellite 

Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for Earth resources monitoring. This mission continues the Cartosat series that has 

been in continual operation since the launch of Cartosat-1 in 2005. Cartosat-3 is being developed by ISRO and 

carries the multispectral imager (MSI) and panchromatic (PAN) sensor for high-resolution imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meter;Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 2019 (Planned)

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude 450 km

Orbit period 93.58 min

Inclination 97.9°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat —

Status Development

System website —

Sensor Information

MSI PAN

GSD (m) 1.14 0.28

Swath (km) 16 16

Data portal —

MSI

Details of the MSI are not yet known. The sensor will have four bands with a ground sample distance (GSD) of approximately 1 m, an improvement from Cartosat-2’s 2-m GSD.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 1.14

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 1.14

Red 0.620 0.650 0.680 1.14

NIR 0.770 0.815 0.860 1.14

PAN

The PAN imager has an improved 0.28-m GSD compared to Cartosat-2’s 0.65-m GSD.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.500 0.675 0.850 0.28
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 63

CAS500-1 and -2

South Korea

Civil/Government/Commercial

Future

Platform Overview

CAS500-1 and -2 are high-resolution panchromatic 

and multispectral satellites to be launched in 2020 for Earth 

observation. The first satellite, CAS500-1, is being developed by the Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). 

The medium-sized platform is designed to be easily commercialized to reduce cost. CAS500-2 will be developed by 

domestic industry and utilize the technology developed for 

CAS500-1. CAS500 satellites will carry the Advanced Earth 

Imaging Sensor System (AEISS-C) sensor for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; —, no data; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter]

CAS500-1 CAS500-2

Launch date 2020 (Planned)

Design lifetime 4 years

Platform owner KARI

Altitude 500 km

Orbit period 94.62 min

Inclination —

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat —

Status Development

System website —

Artistic renderings of CAS500-1 and -2 in orbit [Source: KARI, 

used with permission].

Sensor Information

AEISS-C

GSD (m) 0.5, 2

Swath (km) 12

Data portal —

AEISS-C

The AEISS-C is based on the AEISS sensors aboard 

Kompsat-3 and -3A. Detailed spectral information is not 

available.
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

64 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

CBERS-4

China, Brazil

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

The China–Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS)-4 

is a high-resolution multispectral satellite launched in 2014 

by the Chinese National Space Agency/National Institute of 

Space Research (CNSA/INPE) on a Chang Zheng 4B rocket 

from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center for Earth resources 

monitoring. This is the fifth satellite in the CBERS mission. 

The CBERS-4 satellite was designed and built by Chinese 

Academy for Space Technology (CAST)/INPE and uses the 

Phoenix-Eye 1 bus. CBERS-4 carries four sensors: Infrared Multispectral Scanner (IRMSS), Multispectral Camera 

(MUXCam), Panchromatic and Multispectral Camera (PANMUX), and Wide Field Imager (WFI) for medium-resolution 

land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meter; Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near infrared; SWIR, shortwave infrared; 

TIR, thermal infrared]

Launch date 12/7/2014

Design lifetime 3 years

Platform owner INPE/CNSA

Altitude 778 km

Orbit period 100.26 min

Inclination 98.5°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 26 days

Status Operational

System website http://www.cbers.inpe.br/

Sensor Information

IRMSS MUX PANMUX WFI

GSD (m) 40, 80 20 5, 10 64

Swath (km) 120 60 866

Data portal http://www.dgi.inpe.br/CDSR/

Artistic rendering of CBERS-4 in orbit [Source: INPE].

CBERS-4 image of Brasilia [Source: INPE].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 65

CBERS-4—Continued

China, Brazil

Civil/Government

Operational

IRMSS

The IRMSS sensor is a proven design from CNSA used on CBERS-1 and -2. This sensor on CBERS-4 offers an 

improvement in the spatial resolution with a ground sample distance (GSD) of 40 m in shortwave infrared and 80 m in thermal infrared. The swath and the spectral bands remain the same as the previous versions. IRMSS data are freely available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

NIR 0.770 0.830 0.890 40

SWIR 1 1.550 1.650 1.750 40

SWIR 2 2.080 2.215 2.350 40

TIR 10.400 11.450 12.500 80

MUX

The MUXCam was developed by INPE in Brazil. It is the same design used on previous satellites in the CBERS series. 

MUX data are freely available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 20

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 20

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 20

NIR 0.770 0.830 0.890 20

PANMUX

The PANMUX is a three-band visible and near infrared and panchromatic camera designed by INPE. PANMUX data are 

freely available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.510 0.620 0.730 5

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 10

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 10

NIR 0.770 0.830 0.890 10

WFI

The WFI is a proven design by INPE flown on previous CBERS satellites. The sensor adds blue and green bands and an 

improved resolution of 64 m. The swath width is reduced to 690 km, and the operational capability remains the same. WFI 

data are freely available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 64

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 64

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 64

NIR 0.770 0.830 0.890 64
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

66 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

CBERS-4A

China, Brazil

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

China–Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS)-4A 

is a multiresolution multispectral satellite to be launched 

in 2019 by the Chinese National Space Agency/National 

Institute of Space Research (CNSA/INPE) on a Chang Zheng 

4B rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center for Earth 

resources monitoring. This mission continues the CBERS 

mission that has been in continual operation since the launch 

of CBERS-1 in 1999. 

The CBERS-4A satellite is being designed and built by 

CAST/INPE and uses the Phoenix-Eye 1 bus. CBERS-4A 

carries the Multispectral Camera (MUXCam) and Wide Field 

Imager (WFI) sensors for medium-resolution land imaging 

and the Wide Swath Panchromatic and Multispectral camera 

(WPM) sensor for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; DN, descending node; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near 

infrared]

Launch date 2019 (Planned)

Platform owner CNSA/INPE

Altitude 629 km

Orbit period 97.3 min

Inclination 97.9°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 31 days

Design lifetime 5 years

Status Development

System website http://www.cbers.inpe.br/lancamentos/

cbers04a.php

Artistic rendering of CBERS-4 in orbit [Source: INPE].

Sensor Information

MUX WPM WFI

GSD (m) 16 2, 8 55

Swath (km) 90 90 690

Data portal http://www.inpe.br/dados_abertos/
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 67

CBERS-4A—Continued

China, Brazil

Civil/Government

Future

MUXCam

The MUXCam is being developed by INPE in Brazil. It is a multispectral radiometer with nadir viewing, capable of 

imaging the entire Earth every 31 days. It provides a swath width of 90 km. MUX data are freely available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 16

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 16

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 16

NIR 0.770 0.830 0.890 16

WPM

The WPM is a four-band visible and near infrared and panchromatic camera designed by INPE. WPM data are freely 

available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.675 0.900 2

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 8

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 8

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 8

NIR 0.770 0.830 0.890 8

WFI

The WFI is a proven design by INPE flown on previous CBERS satellites. The sensor adds blue and green bands with 

an improved resolution of 55 m. The swath width and the operational capability remain the same as previous CBERS WFI 

sensors. WFI data are freely available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 55

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 55

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 55

NIR 0.770 0.830 0.890 55
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

68 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

COMS

South Korea

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

The Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite 

(COMS), also known as GEO-KOMPSAT-1, is a low-resolution, 

multispectral, geostationary satellite launched in 2010 by the 

Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) on an Ariane-5ECA 

launch vehicle for meteorology, ocean observation, and communications. COMS was Korea’s first geostationary satellite, was 

designed and built by Airbus for KARI, and was based on the 

Eurostar-3000 bus. COMS carries the Geostationary Ocean Color 

Imager (GOCI) and Meteorological Imager (MI) sensors for 

multiresolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; —, no data; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; CA, coastal aerosol; Pan, panchromatic; 

NIR, near infrared; MWIR, midwave infrared; TIR, thermal infrared]

Launch date 6/27/2010

Design lifetime 7 days

Platform owner KARI

Altitude 36,000 km

Orbit period 24 hours

Inclination 0°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website https://www.kari.re.kr/eng/sub03_02_02.do

Sensor Information

GOCI MI

GSD (m) 500 1,000; 4,000

Swath (km) 2,500 —

Data portal —

Artistic rendering of COMS in orbit [Source: KARI, used 

with permission].

COMS imagery of Earth [Source: KARI, used with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 69

COMS—Continued

South Korea

Civil/Government/

Future

GOCI

The GOCI was the first sensor to measure ocean data from a geostationary orbit.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

CA 0.400 0.425 0.450 500

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 500

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 500

Red 0.600 0.640 0.680 500

Red Edge 0.680 0.705 0.730 500

NIR 0.730 1.015 1.300 500

MI

The MI is an off-the-shelf sensor from the U.S company ITT Inc.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Red 0.600 0.640 0.680 1,000

MWIR 3.000 4.000 5.000 4,000

TIR 11.000 12.500 14.000 4,000
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

70 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

COSMO-SkyMed-1 to -4

Italy

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

The COnstellation of small Satellites for Mediterranean basin 

Observation (COSMO-SkyMed) satellites are multiresolution Synthetic 

Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites for Earth observation. The four satellites 

were launched on Delta-7420-10C launch vehicles. The COSMO-SkyMed 

(CSK) satellites are based on the Piattaforma Riconfigurabile Italiana 

Multi-Applicativa (PRIMA) bus. The satellites are identical, and all carry 

the synthetic aperture radar (SAR-2000) instrument for high-resolution 

radar data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; AN, ascending node; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; H, horizontal; V, vertical]

CSK-1 CSK-2 CSK-3 CSK-4

Launch date 6/8/2007 12/9/2007 10/25/2008 11/6/2010

Platform owner ASI

Altitude 620 km

Orbit period 97.1 min

Inclination 97.8°

Crossing time 6:00 AN

Nadir repeat 16 days

Design lifetime 5 years

Status Operational

System website http://www.e-geos.it/cosmo-skymed.html

Sensor Information

SAR-2000

GSD (m) 1—600 (selectable)

Swath (km) 10—200 (selectable)

Data portal http://catalog.e-geos.it/

Artistic rendering of a COSMO-SkyMed satellite 

in orbit [Source: ASI, used with permission].

Summit of Mount Etna captured by COSMOSkyMed [Source: ASI, used with permission].

SAR-2000

The SAR-2000 instrument was developed and built by Thales Alenia Space Italia. The SAR instrument operates in the 

X-band at 9.6 GHz (λ = 3.1 cm). The angle of incidence is 18–59.5 degrees. SAR-2000 data are commercially available.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width (km) Approximate resolution (m)

Spotlight Single HH, VV 10 1

Stripmap Himage Single HH, HV, VH, VV 40 5

Stripmap Ping Pong Alternating HH/VV, HH/HV, VV/VH 30 20

ScanSAR Wide Region Single HH, HV, VH, VV 100 30

ScanSAR Huge Region Single HH, HV, VH, VV 200 100
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 71

CryoSat-2

European Space Agency

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

CryoSat-2 is a low-resolution radar altimeter satellite 

launched in 2010 on a Dnepr launch vehicle for monitoring 

ice thickness. CryoSat-2 replaces CryoSat, which was lost 

because of a launch failure in 2005. CryoSat-2 was built 

and integrated by European Aeronautics Defense and Space 

Astrium. CryoSat-2 carries the SAR Interferometer Radar 

Altimeter (SIRAL) sensor for low-resolution altimetry data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

—, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter]

Launch date 4/8/2010

Platform owner ESA

Altitude 717 km

Orbit period 100 min

Inclination 92°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat —

Design lifetime 3.5 years

Status Operational

System website http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/

Observing_the_Earth/CryoSat

Sensor Information

SIRAL

GSD (m) 250

Swath (km) 15

Data portal https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/-/

how-to-access-cryosat-data-6842

Artistic rendering of CryoSat-2 in orbit [Source: ESA].

Antarctic ice sheet height 

measured by CryoSat 

[Source: ESA]. SIRAL

The SIRAL instrument was designed and developed by Thales Alenia Space. SIRAL is of Poseidon-2 heritage and 

was based on existing equipment. The sensor operates in the Ku-band at 13.575 GHz (λ = 2.21 cm). SIRAL data are freely 

available.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width (km) Approximate resolution (m)

LRM (Low Resolution Mode) — — —

SARM (Synthetic Aperture Radar Mode) — — —

SARIn (SAR Interferometric) — — —
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

72 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

CSG-1 and -2

Italy

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

CSG-1 and -2 (COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation) are highresolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites to be launched in 

2018/2019 and 2020, respectively, by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) 

for civil and defense use. The CSG satellites provide continuity of the 

COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) first generation satellites. The CSG satellites are being built by Thales Alenia Space, use the PRIMA bus, and 

will carry the CSG-SAR sensor for high-resolution radar data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; AN, ascending node; 

—, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; H, horizontal; V, vertical]

CSG-1 CSG-2

Launch date 2019 (Planned) 2020 (Planned)

Design lifetime 7 years

Platform owner ASI

Altitude 620 km

Orbit period 97.1 min

Inclination 97.8°

Crossing time 6:00 AN

Nadir repeat 16 days

Status Development

System website —

Sensor Information

CSG-SAR

GSD (m) 0.8–6 (selectable)

Swath (km) 10–200 (selectable)

Data portal —

CSG-SAR

The CSG-SAR sensor is based on the SAR sensor aboard the CSK satellites. CSG-SAR provides improved capabilities and data continuity for the CSK constellation. CSG-SAR operates in the X-band at 9.6 GHz (λ = 3.12 cm). The angle of 

incidence is unavailable. Data are expected to be commercially available.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width (km) Approximate resolution (m)

Spotlight-2A Single HH, HV, VV, VH 10 x 10 0.8 x 0.8

Spotlight-2B Dual HH/HV, VV/VH 10 x 10 1 x 1

Stripmap Single HH, HV, VV, VH 40 x 2500 3 x 3

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH

Pingpong Burst dual HH/HV, VV/VH 30 x 2500 5 x 20

Quadpol Quad HH/HV/VV/VH 15 x 2500 3 x 3

ScanSAR-1 Dual HH/HV, VV/VH 100 x 2500 4 x 20

ScanSAR-2 Dual HH/HV, VV/VH 200 x 2500 6 x 20
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 73

Deimos-1, UK-DMC-2, 

NigeriaSat-X

Spain, United 

Kingdom, Nigeria

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

The second generation of Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) satellites, Deimos-1, UK-DMC-2, and 

NigeriaSat-X, provide medium-resolution, multispectral 

imagery. (NigeriaSat-2 is also a part of the DMC second 

generation but is described elsewhere in this document.) 

Deimos-1 and UK-DMC-2 were launched together in 

2009 on a Dnepr-1 launch vehicle for disaster monitoring. NigeriaSat-X was launched with NigeriaSat-2 in 2011 

on a Dnepr-1 launch vehicle. These three satellites were 

intended to provide continuity to the first generation of the 

DMC with enhanced imaging capabilities. The satellites 

were built by Surrey Satellite Technology, Ltd., (SSTL) 

and are of SSTL-100 heritage. These satellites carry the 

improved Surrey Linear Imager Multispectral 6 channels 

(SLIM6) sensor for medium-resolution land imaging. 

[Abbreviations in tables: —, no data; km, kilometer; min, minute; °, 

degree; AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; NIR, near 

infrared; m, meter; °, degree]

Deimos-1 UK-DMC-2 NigeriaSat-X

Launch date 7/29/2009 7/29/2009 8/17/2011

Design lifetime 5 years — —

Platform owner Deimos Imaging SL SSTL Nigerian National Space Research and 

Development Agency

Altitude 661 km 686 km 680 km

Orbit period 97.7 min 97.7 min 98 min

Inclination 98° 98.13° 98.25°

Crossing time 10:30 AN 10:30 AN 10:15 AN

Nadir repeat 5 days — —

Status Operational Operational Operational

System website https://www.deimos-imaging.com/

satellites#1

http://www.sst-us.com/missions/

uk-dmc-2--launched-2009

http://nasrda.gov.ng/en/

Artistic rendering of Deimos-1 satellite in orbit 

[Source: Urthecast, used with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

74 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Deimos-1, UK-DMC-2, 

NigeriaSat-X—Continued

Spain, United 

Kingdom, Nigeria

Civil/Government

Operational

Sensor Information

GSD (m) 22

Swath (km) 650

Data Portal http://www.dmcii.com/

London, UK-DMC Constellation, UK-DMC2 image. 

[Source: Airbus DS, 2011, used with permission].

SLIM6 (22 meters)

The SLIM6 sensing element flown on the DMC secondgeneration satellites is an improved model of the first SLIM6 

sensor. The ground sample distance was improved from 32 m 

to 22 m while maintaining the same swath width by using 

longer dimension arrays. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) 

was also improved in this generation of SLIM6 imagers. The 

SLIM6-22 imagers can image in 8-bit or 10-bit quantization, 

although the higher quantization limits the potential swath 

length of collectible data. SLIM6 data are commercially 

available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Green 0.520 0.570 0.620 22

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 22

NIR 0.760 0.830 0.900 22
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 75

Deimos-2

Spain

Commercial

Operational

Platform Overview

Deimos-2 is a high-resolution, multispectral minisatellite launched in 

2014 on a Dnepr-1 launch vehicle for Earth observation. Deimos-2 follows 

on the Deimos-1 mission, providing enhanced resolution and agility.

The satellite was built by Deimos Satellite Systems of Spain and 

Satrec Initiative (SI) of Korea. Deimos-2 utilizes SI’s SpaceEye-1 platform 

(also known as SI-300) and is nearly identical to DubaiSat-1. Deimos-2 

carries the High Resolution Advanced Imaging System (HiRAIS) sensor 

for high-resolution pan and VNIR imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; AN, ascending node; min, minute; 

°, degree; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; Pan, panchromatic]

Launch date 6/19/2014

Design lifetime 10 years

Platform owner Deimos Imaging

Altitude 620 km

Orbit period 97.3 min

Inclination 98°

Crossing time 10:30 AN

Nadir repeat 5 days

Status Operational

System website https://www.deimos-imaging.com/

Sensor Information

GSD (m) 1, 4

Swath (km) 12

Data portal https://www.deimos-imaging.com/catalogue

Deimos-2 satellite [Source: UrtheCast, used with 

permission].

Image of Stade de France captured by Deimos-2 satellite 

[Source: UrtheCast, used with permission].

HiRAIS

The HiRAIS aboard Deimos-2 is a proven design with substantial heritage with DubaiSat-1 and 2. The sensor was 

designed and developed by SI in Korea. HiRAIS data are commercially available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.675 0.900 1

Blue 0.420 0.465 0.510 4

Green 0.510 0.545 0.580 4

Red 0.600 0.660 0.720 4

NIR 0.760 0.825 0.890 4
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

76 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

DubaiSat-1

United Arab Emirates

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

DubaiSat-1 is a high-resolution multispectral satellite launched in 2009 by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space 

Center (MBRSC) on a Dnepr rocket for Earth resources 

monitoring. This mission is the first satellite of the DubaiSat 

series. The DubaiSat-1 satellite was designed and built by 

Satrec Initiative Co. for the MBRSC and uses the SI-200 bus. 

DubaiSat-1 carries the DubaiSat Medium Aperture Camera 

(DMAC) sensor for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; Pan, panchromatic; NIR, 

near-infrared]

Launch date 7/29/2009

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner MBRSC

Altitude 680 km

Orbit period 97.7 min

Inclination 98.13°

Crossing time 10:30 AN

Nadir repeat 8 days

Status Operational

System website https://mbrsc.ae/en/page/dubai-sat-1

Sensor Information

DMAC

GSD (m) 2.5, 5

Swath (km) 20.1

Data portal —

Artistic rendering of DubaiSat-1 [Source: Satrec Initiative, used with permission].

Image of Burj Khalifa, Dubai, captured by DubaiSat-1 

[Source: MBRSC, used with permission].

DMAC

The DMAC is an optical pushbroom type camera imaging the Earth in visible and near infrared bands.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.420 0.655 0.890 2.5

Blue 0.420 0.465 0.510 5

Green 0.510 0.545 0.580 5

Red 0.600 0.660 0.720 5

NIR 0.760 0.825 0.890 5
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 77

DubaiSat-2

United Arab Emirates

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

DubaiSat-2 is a high-resolution multispectral satellite launched in 2013 by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space 

Center (MBRSC) on a Dnepr rocket from Dombarovsky 

for Earth resources monitoring. This mission continues the 

DubaiSat series that has been in continual operation since the 

launch of DubaiSat-1 in 2009.

The DubaiSat-2 satellite was designed and built by 

Satrec Initiative Co. for the MBRSC and uses the SI-300 bus. 

DubaiSat-2 carries the High Resolution Advanced Imaging 

System (HiRAIS) sensor for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree: 

DN, descending node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 11/21/2013

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner MBRSC

Altitude 600 km

Orbit period 96.69 min

Inclination 97.81°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website https://mbrsc.ae/en/page/dubai-sat-2

Artistic rendering of DubaiSat-2 in orbit [Source: MBRSC, used 

with permission].

Image of Abu Dhabi, 

United Arab Emirates, 

by DubaiSat-2 

[Source: MBRSC, used 

with permission].

Sensor Information

HiRAIS

GSD (m) 1, 4

Swath (km) 12

Data portal https://mbrsc.ae/en/page/dubai-sat-2

HiRAIS

The HiRAIS is an improved version of the DMAC sensor flown on DubaiSat-1. The sensor offers a major improvement 

in image quality with a larger mirror diameter. The spectral bands, ground sample distance, swath width, and operating model 

remain the same as previous members of the DubaiSat family. HiRAIS data are gathered for paying customers only on a prepaid, pre-scheduled basis.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.550 0.725 0.900 1

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 4

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 4

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 4

NIR 0.770 0.830 0.890 4
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

78 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

EnMAP

Germany

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program 

(EnMAP) is medium-resolution hyperspectral minisatellite 

to be launched in 2019 on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle 

for monitoring the condition of Earth’s surface and the 

changes affecting it. EnMAP is based on the OHB-System of 

SAR-Lupe heritage. The bus of the system is referred to as 

LEOBus-1000. EnMAP will carry the Hyperspectral Imager 

(HSI) sensor for medium-resolution hyperspectral land 

imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; —, no data; 

Hyper, hyperspectral]

Launch date 2020 (Planned)

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner German Aerospace Center (DLR)

Altitude 643 km

Orbit period 97 min

Inclination 98°

Crossing time 11:00 AN

Nadir repeat 21 days

Status Development

System website http://www.enmap.org/

Artistic rendering of EnMAP in orbit [Source: DLR].

Sensor Information

HSI

GSD (m) 30

Swath (km) 30

Data portal —

HSI

The HSI sensor on EnMAP is a hyperspectral imager in visible and near infrared (VNIR) and shortwave infrared 

(SWIR). The imagery is acquired in 228 bands sampled at 5 nm in VNIR and at 10 nm in SWIR. 

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Hyper 0.420 1.435 2.450 30
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 79

FLEX

European Space Agency

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

The Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) is a European Space 

Agency (ESA) high-resolution imaging spectrometer satellite 

to be launched in 2022 for mapping vegetation fluorescence. 

FLEX was selected as the eighth Earth Explorer mission in 

2015 and carries the FLuORescence Imaging Spectrometer 

(FLORIS) sensor for low-resolution land imaging, with an 

expected 500–800-nm spectral range.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; —, no data; GSD, ground sample 

distance; m, meter; NIR, near-infrared]

Launch date 2022 (Planned)

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner ESA

Altitude 815 km

Orbit period —

Inclination —

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat —

Status Planned

System website https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/missions/

esa-future-missions/flex

Sensor Information

FLORIS

GSD (m) 300

Swath (km) 150

Data portal —

Artistic rendering of FLEX in orbit [Source: ESA].

FLORIS sensor illustration [Source: ESA].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

80 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

FLEX—Continued

European Space Agency

Civil/Government

Future

FLORIS

FLORIS, a pushbroom hyperspectral imager, will measure vegetation fluorescence in visible and near infrared (VNIR) 

at medium spatial resolution over a swath of 150 km. The imaging spectrometer has two modules—one has very high spectral 

resolution (0.3 nm) with two oxygen absorption bands (O2A and O2B, shown as NIR here) and the other has lower spectral 

resolution (3 nm) for atmospheric and vegetation parameters.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Green 0.500 0.550 0.600 300

Red 0.600 0.639 0.677 300

Red 0.677 0.682 0.686 300

Red 0.686 0.692 0.697 300

Red Edge 0.697 0.719 0.740 300

NIR 0.740 0.748 0.755 300

NIR 0.755 0.757 0.759 300

NIR 0.759 0.764 0.769 300

NIR 0.769 0.775 0.780 300
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 81

GEO-CAPE

United States

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

The GEOstationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events 

(GEO-CAPE) mission is planned to be launched in 2020 

to measure tropospheric trace gases and aerosols, coastal 

ocean phytoplankton, water quality, and biogeochemistry. GEO-CAPE will be in a geostationary orbit near 

95–100 degrees west to cover North and South America and 

their coasts. Specific sensors for GEO-CAPE have not yet 

been selected.

[Abbreviations in table: —, no data; km, kilometer; °, degree]

Launch date 2020 (Planned)

Design lifetime —

Platform owner NASA

Altitude 35,786 km

Orbit period 24 hours

Inclination 0°

Crossing time NA

Nadir repeat NA

Status Operational

System website https://geo-cape.larc.nasa.gov/

Geostationary view from 95° W for the GEO-CAPE 

coastal ecosystem sensor overlain on the SeaWiFS 

chlorophyll-a mission composite [Source: NASA].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

82 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

GeoEye-1

United States

Commercial

Operational

Platform Overview

GeoEye-1 is a high-resolution panchromatic and multispectral satellite launched in 2008 

on a Delta-II launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base for commercial Earth resources 

monitoring. DigitalGlobe acquired GeoEye Inc. in 2013, adding GeoEye-1 to their constellation of commercial satellites. GeoEye-1 was designed and developed at General Dynamics 

in the United States and uses the SA-200HP bus of Coriolis and SWIFT heritage. GeoEye-1 

carries the GeoEye Imaging System (GIS) for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meter; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 9/6/2008

Design lifetime 7 years

Platform owner DigitalGlobe

Altitude 681 km

Orbit period 98 min

Inclination 98.12°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website https://www.digitalglobe.com/about/

our-constellation/

Sensor Information

GIS

GSD (m) 0.41, 1.65

Swath (km) 15.3

Data portal https://www.digitalglobe.com/products/

collection-request

Artistic rendering of 

GeoEye-1 [Source: MAXAR 

Technologies, 2019, used with 

permission].

GeoEye-1 image of Monopoli, Italy [Source: MAXAR 

Technologies, 2019, used with permission].

GIS

The GIS sensor is a pushbroom-style CCD imager. The sensor was designed and developed by ITT in the United States 

and delivered to General Dynamics for integration. GIS data are commercially available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.625 0.800 0.41

Blue 0.450 0.480 0.510 1.65

Green 0.510 0.545 0.580 1.65

Red 0.655 0.673 0.690 1.65

NIR 0.780 0.850 0.920 1.65
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 83

GEO-KOMPSAT-2A

South Korea

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

GEO-KOMPSAT-2A is a low-resolution, multispectral, geostationary satellite launched in 2018 by the Korean 

Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) on an Ariane-5ECA 

launch vehicle for meteorological monitoring. GEO-KOMPSAT-2A provides continuity for the Meteorological Imager 

aboard COMS. The platform used by GEO-KOMPSAT-2A is 

developed and built by KARI. GEO-KOMPSAT-2A carries 

the Advanced Meteorological Imager (AMI) sensor for lowresolution meteorological imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; —, no data; NIR, near infrared; 

SWIR, shortwave infrared; MWIR, midwave infrared; TIR, thermal infrared]

Launch date 12/4/2018

Design lifetime 10 years

Platform owner KARI

Altitude 35,786 km

Orbit period 24 hours

Inclination 0°

Crossing time NA

Nadir repeat NA

Status Operational

System website https://www.kari.re.kr/eng/sub03_02_02.do

Artistic rendering of GEO-KOMPSAT-2A in orbit [Source: KARI, 

used with permission].

Sensor Information

AMI

GSD (m) 500; 1,000; 2,000

Swath (km) —

Data portal —

AMI

The AMI was developed by ITT Inc. in the United States. AMI is based on the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) flown 

on GOES-R. AMI has improved spectral, temporal, and spatial resolution compared to the imager aboard COMS.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 1,000

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 1,000

Red 0.600 0.640 0.680 500

NIR 0.730 1.015 1.300 1,000

SWIR 1 1.500 1.625 1.750 2,000

MWIR 3.000 4.000 5.000 2,000

TIR 11.000 12.500 14.000 2,000
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

84 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

GEO-KOMPSAT-2B

South Korea

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

GEO-KOMPSAT-2B is a low-resolution, multispectral, 

geostationary satellite to be launched in 2019 by the Korean 

Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) on an Ariane-5ECA 

launch vehicle for ocean monitoring. GEO-KOMPSAT-2B 

provides continuity for the GOCI sensor aboard COMS. The 

platform used by GEO-KOMPSAT-2B is being developed 

and built by KARI. GEO-KOMPSAT-2B will carry the 

Global Ocean Color Imager—II (GOCI-II) sensor for lowresolution ocean imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; GSD, ground sample 

distance; m, meter; —, no data; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 2020 (Planned)

Design lifetime 10 years

Platform owner KARI

Altitude 35,786 km

Orbit period 24 hours

Inclination 0°

Crossing time NA

Nadir repeat NA

Status Development

System website https://www.kari.re.kr/eng/sub03_02_02.do

Sensor Information

GOCI-II

GSD (m) 250

Swath (km) —

Data portal —

Artistic rendering of GEO-KOMPSAT-2B in orbit [Source: KARI, 

used with permission].

GOCI-II

The Global Ocean Color Imager–II (GOCI-II) was developed by Airbus DS. GOCI-II has improved spectral, temporal, and spatial resolution compared to the imager aboard the Communication, Oceanography and Meteorological Satellite 

(COMS).

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.725 1.000 250

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 250

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 250

Red 0.600 0.640 0.680 250

Red Edge 0.680 0.705 0.730 250

NIR 0.730 1.015 1.300 250
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 85

GISAT

India

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

GEO Imaging Satellite (GISAT) is 

a multiresolution geostationary satellite 

to be launched in 2019 on a Geo Stationary Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark-2A 

for continuous observation of India and 

quick monitoring of natural hazards and 

disasters. GISAT is based on the Indian 

Space Research Organization (ISRO) I-1K 

(I-1000) bus and carries the high resolution multispectral visible and near infrared 

(HRMX-VNIR) for medium-resolution land 

imaging and the high resolution multispectral thermal infrared (HRMX-TIR), hyperspectral shortwave infrared (HySI-SWIR), 

and hyperspectral visible ansd near infrared 

(HySI-VNIR) sensors for low-resolution 

land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; °, degree;

—, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

NIR, near-infrared; SWIR, shortwave infrared; 

TIR, thermal infrared]

Launch date 2019 (Planned)

Design lifetime 7 years

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude 36,000 km

Orbit period 24 hours

Inclination 0°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat —

Status Development

System website —

3-Dimensional model of GISAT [Source: 

ISRO, used with permission].

Sensor Information

HRMX-TIR HRMS-VNIR HySI-SWIR HySI-VNIR

GSD (m) 1,500 50 320 192

Swath (km) — — — —

Data portal —

HRMX-TIR

The HRMX-TIR sensor has three bands in the TIR spectral range. 

The ground sample distance (GSD) is 1.5 km. Spectral information details 

are not yet available.

HRMX-VNIR

The HRMX-VNIR sensor has four bands in the VNIR spectral range. 

The GSD is 50 m. Spectral information details are not yet available.

HySI-SWIR

The HySI-SWIR sensor has 60 bands in the SWIR spectral range. 

The GSD is 320 m. Spectral information details are not yet available.

HySI-VNIR

The HySI-SWIR sensor has 60 bands in the VNIR spectral range. 

The GSD is 192 m. Spectral information details are not yet available.
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

86 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

GOES-16, -17, -T, and -U

United States

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

Platform Overview

The third-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES-16, 

-17, -T, and -U), commonly referred to as the 

GOES-R series, are low-resolution multispectral satellites for environmental monitoring. 

GOES-16 and -17 were launched in 2016 and 

2018, respectively. GOES-T and -U are planned 

to be launched in 2020 and 2024, respectively. 

This mission continues the GOES series that has 

been in continual operation since the launch of 

GOES-1 in 1984. The GOES satellites have been 

built by NOAA and NASA. Lockheed Martin 

Space Systems Company was selected to build 

the third-generation spacecraft. The bus is based 

on the A2100 bus. The GOES-R satellites carry 

the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) sensor for 

low-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; NA, not applicable; min, minute; °, degree; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meters; —, no data; NIR, near infrared; SWIR, shortwave infrared; MWIR, midwave infrared; 

TIR, thermal infrared]

GOES-16 GOES-17 GOES-T GOES-U

Launch date 11/19/2016 3/1/2018 2020 (Planned) 2024 (Planned)

Design lifetime 10 years

Platform owner NOAA

Altitude 35,786 km

Orbit period 24 hours

Inclination 0°

Crossing time NA

Nadir repeat NA

Status Operational In-orbit checkout Development

System website https://www.goes-r.gov/

Artistic rendering of a GOES-R satellite in orbit [Source: Lockheed Martin, 

used with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 87

GOES-16, -17, -T, and -U—Continued

United States

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

Sensor Information

ABI

GSD (m) 500; 1,000; 2,000

Swath (km) —

Data portal https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/satellite/goes-r.html

GOES-16 image of Earth [Source: NOAA].

ABI

The ABI was designed and developed by ITT Inc. ABI greatly improved on the imager flown on the second-generation 

GOES satellites, featuring more spectral bands (16), faster imaging cycles, and higher spatial resolution. ABI data are freely 

available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.470 0.490 1,000

Red 0.590 0.640 0.690 500

NIR 0.846 0.866 0.885 1,000

Cirrus 1.371 1.379 1.386 2,000

SWIR 1 1.580 1.610 1.640 1,000

SWIR 2 2.225 2.250 2.275 2,000

MWIR 3.800 3.900 4.000 2,000

WV 5.770 6.185 6.600 2,000

WV 6.750 6.950 7.150 2,000

WV 7.240 7.340 7.440 2,000

TIR 8.300 8.500 8.700 2,000

TIR 9.420 9.610 9.800 2,000

TIR 10.100 10.350 10.600 2,000

TIR 10.800 11.200 11.600 2,000

TIR 11.800 12.300 12.800 2,000

TIR 13.000 14.000 15.000 2,000
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

88 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

GOMX-4A and -4B

Denmark

Commercial

Operational

Platform Overview

GOMX-4A and -4B are medium-resolution hyperspectral satellites launched in 2018 on a Long March 2D from 

Jiquan launch center, China, to demonstrate constellation 

capability, intersatellite link, and station keeping; and for 

Earth resources monitoring. The GOMX-4 6U cubesats were 

designed and built by GomSpace as a part of their flight 

demonstration mission series. GomSpace partnered with 

the Danish Defense Acquisition and Logistics Organization 

(DALO), the Technical University of Denmark (TUD), and 

the European Space Agency (ESA). The two satellites are 

linked by the inter satellite link (ISL) system. GOMX-4A 

carries an Automatic Identification System (AIS) maritime 

tracking sensor with a 70-mm NanoCamera for monitoring 

arctic ice and maritime applications. GOMX-4B carries the 

HyperScout sensor for medium-resolution hyperspectral land 

imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

—, no data; Hyper, Hyperspectral]

Launch date 2/2/2018

Design lifetime 3 years

Platform owner GomSpace

Altitude 500 km

Orbit period 94.6 min

Inclination 97.32°

Crossing time 15:00 DN

Nadir repeat 5 days

Status Operational

System website https://gomspace.com/gomx-4.aspx

https://hyperscout.nl/

Artistic rendering of the GOMX-4 satellites in orbit [Source: 

GomSpace, used with permission].

HyperScout sensor 

[Source: COSINE 

Measurement 

Systems (https://

cosine.nl), used 

with permission].

Sensor Information

HyperScout

GSD (m) 70

Swath (km) 200

Data portal —

HyperScout

The HyperScout sensor built by COSINE Measurement Systems in the Netherlands, is the first hyperspectral sensor for 

nanosatellites. It has 45 visible and near infrared (VNIR) bands with a spectral resolution of 15 nm. The aim of this demonstration mission is to assess the quality of data acquired and consequent suitability to applications like crop water management, fire 

monitoring, and land use and change. HyperScout sensor is now available for purchase as a COTS component from COSINE.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Hyper 0.400 0.700 1.000 70
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 89

HRSAT 1A, 1B, 1C

India

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

HRSAT 1A, 1B, and 1C are high-resolution multispectral satellites to be launched in 2020 by the Indian Space 

Research Organization (ISRO) for Earth observation. Limited information currently (2018) is available. The HRSAT 

satellites carry a multispectral camera (MX) and a panchromatic camera (PAN) for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

Hyper, Hyperspectral]

HRSAT 1A HRSAT 1B HRSAT 1C

Launch date 2020 (Planned)

Design lifetime —

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude 660 km

Orbit period 97.94 min

Inclination 98.02°

Crossing time 9:30 DN

Nadir repeat —

Status Development

System website —

Sensor Information

MX PAN

GSD (m) 2, 4 1

Swath (km) 15 20

Data portal —

PAN and MX

The HRSAT carries a panchromatic and multispectral 

imager (four bands). The visible bands have a 2-m ground 

sample distance (GSD) and the infrared band has a 4-m 

GSD. Detailed spectral information is not available at this 

time.
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

90 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

HyspIRI Mission Concept

United States

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

The Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI) mission concept is 

for a medium-resolution hyperspectral and multispectral satellite estimated to be launched in 2023 by the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA) for the study of Earth surface biology, geology, and natural disaster monitoring. HyspIRI currently (2018) is still 

in conceptual development. HyspIRI is expected to carry the visible 

shortwave infrared (VSWIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) sensors for 

medium resolution land imaging, roughly 60-m spatial resolution.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; —, no data; °, degree; DN, descending node; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; Hyper, hyperspectral; MWIR, midwave 

infrared; TIR, thermal infrared]

Launch date 2023 (Planned)

Platform owner NASA

Altitude 626 km

Orbit period —

Inclination 98°

Crossing time 11:00 DN

Nadir repeat 19 days

Design lifetime 3 years

Status Concept

System website https://hyspiri.jpl.nasa.gov/

Artistic rendering of HyspIRI in orbit [Source: NASA].

Sensor Information

VSWIR TIR

GSD (m) 60

Swath (km) 185

Data portal —

VSWIR

The VSWIR Imaging Spectrometer is a hyperspectral imager with a wide spectral range.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Hyper 0.380 1.445 2.510 60

TIR

The TIR is a multispectral infrared imager with a wide swath operating in the thermal part of the spectrum.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

MWIR 3.940 3.982 4.024 60

TIR 7.190 7.350 7.509 60

TIR 8.107 8.279 8.450 60

TIR 8.455 8.628 8.801 60

TIR 8.894 9.074 9.254 60

TIR 10.258 10.528 10.798 60

TIR 11.060 11.330 11.600 60

TIR 11.790 12.050 12.310 60
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 91

ICESat-2

United States

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

The Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite–2 (ICESat-2) is a high-precision laser altimeter satellite launched 

by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

(NASA) on a Delta-II launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air 

Force Base in California. ICESat-2’s primary mission is to 

collect precise measurements of the heights of the Earth’s 

ice, vegetation, land surface, water, and clouds. This mission 

continues and improves on the observations of the original 

ICESat satellite (and Operation IceBridge annual polar data 

collection aircraft campaigns). The ICESat-2 spacecraft bus 

was built by Orbital ATK and uses the LEOStar-3 bus used 

on Landsat 8 and GeoEye-1. ICESat-2 carries the Advanced 

Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS).

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

—, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter]

Launch date 09/15/2018

Design lifetime 3 years

Platform owner NASA

Altitude 500 km

Orbit period 94.6 min

Inclination 92°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat 91 days

Status Commissioning

System website https://icesat-2.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Sensor Information

ATLAS

GSD (m) 0.7 (along track)

Swath (km) 6

Data portal —

ATLAS

The ATLAS is a new design from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Unlike the original ICESat’s Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS), which used millions of photons to measure a single data point, ATLAS measures very 

few photons—a few dozen at most. The instrument has a vertical resolution of 4 mm. ATLAS splits its laser into nine beams 

and samples approximately every 70 cm on the ground. The laser has a frequency of 532 nm (visible green).

Artistic rendering of ICESat-2 in orbit [Source: NASA].

ATLAS instrument model [Source: NASA].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

92 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

INSAT-3A

India

Civil/Government 

Operational

Platform Overview

The Indian National Satellite–3A (INSAT-3A) is a low-resolution multispectral 

satellite launched in 2003 on an Ariane-5 launch vehicle from Kourou, French Guiana, 

by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for meteorological monitoring. 

INSAT-3A is in a geostationary orbit at 93.5 degrees east. The satellite is based on the 

I-3000 bus. INSAT-3A carries the Very High-Resolution Radiometer (VHRR) sensor 

and a CCD Camera for meteorological monitoring.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; °, degree; NA, not applicable; GSD, ground sampling distance; 

m, meters; —, no data; NIR, near infrared; TIR, thermal infrared]

Launch date 4/9/2003

Design lifetime 12 years

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude 35,786 km

Orbit period 24 hours

Inclination 0°

Crossing time NA

Nadir repeat NA

Status Operational

System website https://www.isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/insat-3a

3-Dimensional model of INSAT-3A 

[Source: ISRO, used with permission].

Sensor Information

VHRR CCD Camera

GSD (m) 2,000; 8,000 1,000

Swath (km) — —

Data portal https://mosdac.gov.in/content/Mission/insat-3a

VHRR

The VHRR sensor is identical to the VHRR sensor flown on Kalpana-1. The sensor can operate in Full scan mode with 

a 33-minute repeat; Normal scan mode with a 23-minute repeat; or Sector scan mode, which can scan an area three times in 

23 minutes.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

VIS 0.550 0.650 0.750 2,000

WV 5.700 6.400 7.100 8,000

TIR 10.500 11.500 12.500 8,000

CCD Camera

The CCD camera is an experimental sensor for meteorological monitoring as well as vegetation mapping. The CCD 

camera was first introduced on INSAT-2E. Bands 1 and 2 provide vegetation index data and band 3 is used to measure 

snow cover.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Red 0.620 0.650 0.680 1,000

NIR 0.770 0.815 0.860 1,000

SWIR 1 1.550 1.620 1.690 1,000
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 93

INSAT-3D and -3DR

India

Civil/Government 

Operational

Platform Overview

The Indian National Satellite–3D (INSAT-3D) is a lowresolution multispectral satellite launched in 2013 by the Indian 

Space Research Organization (ISRO) on an Ariane-5 launch 

vehicle from Kourou, French Guiana, for meteorological monitoring. This mission continues the INSAT-3 series of satellites 

with improved capabilities. INSAT-3D is in a geostationary 

orbit at 82 degrees east. INSAT-3DR was launched in 2016 

featuring similar instruments. INSAT-3DR is in a geostationary 

orbit at 72 degrees east. INSAT-3D and -3DR carry the Multispectral Imager (MSI) for meteorological monitoring.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; °, degree; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meter; —, no data; VIS, Visible; SWIR, shortwave infrared; MWIR, midwave 

infrared; TIR, thermal infrared]

INSAT-3D INSAT-3DR

Launch date 7/25/2013 9/8/2016

Design lifetime 7.7 years 10 years

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude 35,786 km

Orbit period 24 hours

Inclination 0°

Crossing time NA

Nadir repeat NA

Status Operational

System website https://www.isro.gov.in/

Spacecraft/insat-3d

https://www.isro.gov.in/

Spacecraft/insat-3dr

Artistic rendering of INSAT3D [Source: ISRO, used with 

permission].

INSAT-3D data of Cyclone Roanu, Indian ocean 

[Source: University of Wisconsin].

Sensor Information

MSI

GSD (m) 1,000; 4,000; 8,000

Swath (km) —

Data portal https://www.mosdac.gov.in/

MSI

The MSI is an improved version of the Very High-Resolution Radiometer (VHRR) flown on Kalpana-1 and INSAT-3A. 

The imager includes three new bands: shortwave infrared, midwave infrared, and an additional thermal infrared band. The 

spatial resolution is also improved.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

VIS 0.550 0.650 0.750 1,000

SWIR 1 1.550 1.625 1.700 1,000

MWIR 3.800 3.900 4.000 4,000

WV 6.500 6.800 7.100 8,000

TIR 10.300 10.800 11.300 4,000

TIR 11.500 12.000 12.500 4,000
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

94 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

ISS JEM-EF/Kibo

Japan

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

The Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility 

(JEM-EF) is a part of JEM (referred to as Kibo in Japan), 

launched in 2009 by the Japan Aerospace Exploration 

Agency (JAXA) on STS-127 with an emphasis on Earth 

observation instruments. JEM-EF will host the ECOsystem 

Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) sensor.

[Abbreviations in tables: —, no data; km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; SWIR, shortwave infrared; 

TIR, thermal infrared]

Launch date 7/15/2009

Design lifetime —

Platform owner JAXA

Altitude 407 km

Orbit period 93 min

Inclination 51.6°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/

station/research/experiments/JEM-EF.html

Artistic rendering of the ISS JEM-EF module with ECOSTRESS 

attached [Source: NASA].

3-Dimensional model 

of ECOSTRESS 

[Source: NASA].

Sensor Information

ECOSTRESS

GSD (m) 38

Swath (km) 384

Data portal —

ECOSTRESS

The ECOSTRESS payload was launched to ISS in June 2018 on a 

Falcon 9 launch vehicle and installed on July 5, 2018. ECOSTRESS’s 

central mission is to study the terrestrial biosphere, vegetation water 

use, and agricultural dynamics. ECOSTRESS is an implementation of 

the existing Prototype HyspIRI Thermal Infrared Radiometer (PHyTIR) 

developed by NASA. ECOSTRESS data will be freely available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

SWIR 1 1.500 1.600 1.700 38

TIR 8.180 8.280 8.380 38

TIR 8.690 8.790 8.890 38

TIR 8.960 9.060 9.160 38

TIR 10.400 10.500 10.600 38

TIR 11.950 12.035 12.120 38
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 95

ISS MUSES

United States

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

The Multiple User System for Earth Sensing (MUSES) 

is a commercially operated multiuser facility aboard the 

International Space Station (ISS) launched in June 2017 on a 

SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle. MUSES was developed by 

Teledyne Brown Engineering. The facility is mounted on the 

starboard side of the ISS. MUSES currently hosts the DLR 

Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer (DESIS) sensor.

[Abbreviations in tables: —, no data; km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; Hyper, hyperspectral]

Launch date 6/3/2017

Design lifetime —

Platform owner NASA

Altitude 407 km

Orbit period 93 min

Inclination 51.6°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/

research/experiments/1282.html

Sensor Information

DESIS

GSD (m) 30

Swath (km) 57

Data portal —

MUSES pointing 

platform 

[Source: NASA].

DESIS sensor 

model [Source: 

DLR].

DESIS

The DESIS sensor was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 29, 2018, as part of the SpaceX CRS-15 logistics flight to the ISS. DESIS was placed in the MUSES facility on the ISS for environmental monitoring. DESIS is a hyperspectral imager with as many as 235 bands built and designed by DLR and Teledyne Brown Engineering. DESIS data are 

commercially available through Teledyne.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Hyper 0.450 0.725 1.000 30
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

96 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

ISS Zvezda

Russia

Civil/Government 

Operational

Platform Overview

The Zvezda Service Module aboard the International 

Space Station (ISS) was launched in 2000 on a Russian 

Proton rocket. Zvezda is a Russian contribution to the ISS. 

It provides living quarters, life support systems, electrical 

power distribution, data processing systems, flight control 

systems, and propulsion systems. Zvezda currently hosts the 

Iris and Theia sensors.

[Abbreviations in tables: —, no data; km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 7/12/2000

Design lifetime —

Platform owner Roscosmos

Altitude 407 km

Orbit period 93 min

Inclination 51.6°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/

structure/elements/sm.html

Sensor Information

Theia Iris

GSD (m) 5 1

Swath (km) 50 —

Data portal https://www.urthecast.com/data/

Artistic rendering of the Zvezda service module (on the left) 

[Source: NASA].

Iris sensor on the International Space Station [Source: Urthecast, used with 

permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 97

ISS Zvezda—Continued

Russia

Civil/Government 

Operational

Theia

The Medium Resolution Camera (MRC) payload aboard the Zvezda module on the ISS is called Theia. Theia was 

launched with Iris in 2013 on the Progress M-21M cargo spacecraft. Theia was built by RAL Space for UrtheCast Inc. and is 

essentially a modified version of RALCam-3RAL. The Theia sensor stopped operations in 2017.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 5

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 5

Red 0.600 0.640 0.680 5

NIR 0.700 0.765 0.830 5

Iris

The High-Resolution Camera (HRC) payload aboard the Zvezda module on the ISS is called Iris. Iris was launched 

with Theia in 2013 on the Progress M-21M cargo spacecraft. Iris was built by RAL Space for UrtheCast Inc. The Iris sensor 

stopped operations in 2017.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 1

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 1

Red 0.600 0.640 0.680 1
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

98 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Jason-2 (OSTM)

United States, France

Civil/Government 

Operational

Platform Overview

Jason-2, also known as the Ocean Surface Topography 

Mission (OSTM), is a radar altimeter satellite launched in 

2008 on a Delta-II launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air 

Force Base in California for oceanic observation. This mission is a follow-on to Jason-1 with a collaboration between 

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 

and French National Center for Space Research (CNES). 

Thales Alenia Space was the prime contractor for the 

spacecraft, which uses the Proteus bus. Jason-2 carries the 

Poseidon-3 instrument for collecting altimetry data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree;

 —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter]

Launch date 6/20/2008

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner NASA, CNES

Altitude 1,336 km

Orbit period 112.38 min

Inclination 66.04°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat 10 days

Status Operational

System website https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/

ostm/main/

Sensor Information

Poseidon-3

GSD (m) —

Swath (km) —

Data portal —

Artistic rendering of Jason-2 in orbit [Source: NASA].

Jason-1 and -2 data [Source: NASA].

Poseidon-3

The Poseidon-3 instrument is a proven design by Thales Alenia Space based on the Poseidon-2 instrument used on 

Jason-1. Poseidon-3 is a dual-frequency radar altimeter and operates in the C-band at 5.3 GHz (λ = 5.66 cm) and Ku-band 

at 13.575 GHz (λ = 2.21 cm).
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 99

Jason-3

United States, France

Civil/Government 

Operational

Platform Overview

Jason-3 is a radar altimeter satellite launched in January 2016 on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air 

Force Base in California for oceanic observation. This mission is a follow-on to Jason-2 with a collaboration between 

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 

and French National Center for Space Research (CNES). 

Thales Alenia Space was the prime contractor for the spacecraft and, like Jason-2, uses the Proteus bus. Jason-3 carries 

the Poseidon-3B instrument for collecting altimetry data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; —, no data; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter]

Launch date 1/17/2016

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner NASA, CNES

Altitude 1,336 km

Orbit period 112.38 min

Inclination 66.04°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat 10 days

Status Operational

System website https://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/jason3/

Sensor Information

Poseidon-3B

GSD (m) —

Swath (km) —

Data portal —

Poseidon-3B

The Poseidon-3B instrument is a proven design by 

Thales Alenia Space based on the Poseidon-3 instrument 

used on Jason-2. Poseidon-3B modestly improves on Poseidon-3 and operates in the C-band at 5.3 GHz (λ = 5.66 cm) 

and Ku-band at 13.575 GHz (λ = 2.21 cm).

Artistic rendering of Jason-3 in orbit [Source: NASA].

Sea surface data acquired by Jason-3 [Source: NASA].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

100 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Kalpana-1

India

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Kalpana-1, formerly known as Meteorological Satellite–1 

(MetSat-1), is a low-resolution multispectral satellite launched 

in 2002 on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from SDSCSHAR for meteorological monitoring. This mission was a lowcost solution to continue the Very High-Resolution Radiometer 

(VHRR) data provided by INSAT-2B, which had to be retired in 

2000 when it ran out of fuel, and INSAT-2E, which failed in 1999. 

Kalpana-1 is in a geostationary orbit at 74.1 degrees east. The satellite platform was developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) using the newly developed I-1000 bus. Kalpana-1 

carries the VHRR sensor for meteorological monitoring.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; °, degree; NA, not applicable; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; VIS, visible; WV, water vapor; 

TIR, thermal infrared]

Launch date 9/12/2002

Design lifetime 7 years

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude 35,786 km

Orbit period 24 hours

Inclination 0°

Crossing time NA

Nadir repeat NA

Status Operational

System website https://www.isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/kalpana-1

Sensor Information

VHRR

GSD (m) 2,000; 8,000

Swath (km) —

Data portal https://mosdac.gov.in/content/Mission/

kalpana-1

Artistic rendering of Kalpana-1 

[Source: ISRO, used with permission].

VHRR

The VHRR sensor is a modified version of the VHRR imagers flown on the INSAT-2 satellites. The sensor can operate 

in Full scan mode with a 33-minute repeat; Normal scan mode with a 23-minute repeat; or Sector scan mode, which can scan 

an area three times in 23 minutes.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

VIS 0.550 0.650 0.750 2,000

WV 5.700 6.400 7.100 8,000

TIR 10.500 11.500 12.500 8,000
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 101

KazEOSat-1

Kazakhstan

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

The Kazakhstan Earth Observation Satellite–1 (KazEOSat-1) is a 

high-resolution multispectral satellite launched in 2014 on a Vega launch 

vehicle from the Guiana Space Center, French Guiana, for Earth observation. KazEOSat-1 is part of a two-satellite Earth observation system. 

The Kazakhstan National Space Agency, Kazcosmos, charged the JointStock Company National Company Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary (JSC 

KGS) with the development of the satellite system. KazEOSat-1 was 

built by Airbus and uses the AstroSat-250 bus with SPOT-6 and SPOT-7 

heritage. KazEOSat-1 carries the New AstroSat Optical Modular Instrument (NAOMI) sensor for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meter; Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 4/30/2014

Design lifetime 7.25 years

Platform owner Kazcosmos

Altitude 759 km

Orbit period 100.0 min

Inclination 98.54°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website —

Sensor Information

NAOMI

GSD (m) 1, 4

Swath (km) 10

Data portal —

Artistic rendering of KazEOSat-1 [Source: Airbus 

DS, used with permission].

KazEOSat-1 image of Singapore [Source: Airbus 

DS, used with permission].

NAOMI

The NAOMI sensor is a proven design from Airbus used on AlSat-2, SSOT, VNREDSat-1A, SPOT-6, and SPOT-7.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.600 0.750 1

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 4

Green 0.530 0.565 0.600 4

Red 0.620 0.655 0.690 4

NIR 0.760 0.825 0.890 4
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

102 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

KazEOSat-2

Kazakhstan

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

The Kazakhstan Earth Observation Satellite–2 (KazEOSat-2) is a 

medium-resolution multispectral satellite launched in 2014 on a Dnepr-1 

launch vehicle from the Yasny Cosmodrome in the Dombarovsky region 

of Russia for Earth observation. KazEOSat-2 is part of a two-satellite 

Earth observation system. The Kazakhstan National Space Agency, 

Kazcosmos, charged the Joint-Stock Company National Company 

Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary (JSC KGS) with the development of the 

satellite system. KazEOSat-2 was built by Surrey Satellite Technology, 

Ltd., (SSTL) and uses the SSTL-159 bus with Bejing-1 and RapidEye 

heritage. KazEOSat-2 carries the Kazakh Earth Imaging System (KEIS) 

for medium-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; AN, ascending node; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 6/19/2014

Design lifetime 7 years

Platform owner Kazcosmos

Altitude 630 km

Orbit period 97.31 min

Inclination 98°

Crossing time 10:30 AN

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website —

Sensor Information

KEIS

GSD (m) 6.5

Swath (km) 78

Data portal —

KEIS

The KEIS was developed by Jena-Optronik GmbH (JOP) and is of RapidEye heritage. The instrument is also referred to 

as the Jena-Optronik Spaceborne Scanner-56 (JSS-56) or the Multispectral Imager (MSI).

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.440 0.475 0.510 6.5

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 6.5

Red 0.630 0.658 0.685 6.5

Red Edge 0.690 0.710 0.730 6.5

NIR 0.760 0.805 0.850 6.5
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 103

KhalifaSat

United Arab Emirates

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Khalifasat (formerly known as DubaiSat-3) is a high-resolution, multispectral satellite launched in 2018 onboard Japan’s 

H-IIA rocket by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Mohammed 

bin Rashad Space Centre (MBRSC) on Japan’s H-IIA rocket 

for Earth resources monitoring. This mission continues the 

DubaiSat series that has been in continual operation since the 

launch of DubaiSat-1 in 2009. Where DubaiSat-1 and DubaiSat-2 were built in cooperation with the South Korean satellite 

manufacturer Satrec Initiative, KhalifaSat is the first satellite developed entirely by MBRSC. KhalifaSat was designed 

and built by MBRSC and uses the SI-300 bus heritage of 

Dubaisat-2. KhalifaSat carries the KhalifaSat Camera System 

(KHCS) for high-resolution imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; —, no data; 

GSD, ground sample distance; Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near infrared; m, meter]

Launch date 10/15/2018

Platform owner MBRSC

Altitude 613 km

Orbit period 96.96 min

Inclination 98.13°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat 6 days

Design lifetime 5 years

Status Operational

System website http://khalifasat-thejourney.com/

Image captured by 

Khalifasat on November 5, 

2018 over Palm Jumeirah 

in Dubai, United Arab Emirates [Source: MBRSC, used 

with permission].

Sensor Information

KHCS

GSD (m) 0.75, 3

Swath (km) 12

Data portal —

KHCS

The KHCS is an improved version of the heritage HiRAIS pushbroom sensor previously flown on Dubaisat-2 and 

provides imagery in VNIR bands. The KHCS offers a major improvement in resolution and downlink capability. The four 

spectral bandwidths and the 12-kilometer (km) swath width are the same as DubaiSat-2, although resolution is improved to 

a GSD of 0.75 meter (m) in Panchromatic and 3 m in multispectral mode. Data are collected at a radiometric resolution of 

10 bits.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.550 0.725 0.900 0.75

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 3

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 3

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 3

NIR 0.770 0.830 0.890 3
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

104 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Kompsat-2

South Korea

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Kompsat-2 is a high-resolution multispectral satellite 

launched in 2006 by the Republic of Korea on a Rockot-KM 

launch vehicle from Plesetsk, Russia, for Earth resources 

monitoring. This mission continues the Kompsat series that 

has been in operation since the launch of Kompsat-1 in 

1999. The Kompsat-2 satellite was designed and built by the 

Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) and uses the 

TRW bus of Kompsat-1 heritage. Kompsat-2 carries the Multispectral Camera (MSC) for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; Pan, panchromatic; 

NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 7/28/2006

Design lifetime 3 years

Platform owner KARI

Altitude 685 km

Orbit period 98.46 min

Inclination 98.13°

Crossing time 10:50 AN

Nadir repeat 28 days

Status Operational

System website https://www.kari.re.kr/eng/sub03_02_01.do

Artistic rendering of Kompsat-2 in orbit [Source: KARI, used with 

permission].

Kompsat-2 image of Sydney, Australia [Source: KARI, used with 

permission].

Sensor Information

MSC

GSD (m) 1, 4

Swath (km) 15

Data portal https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/-/

kompsat-2-msc-bundle-5683

MSC

The MSC is a design from KARI built in cooperation 

with Electro Optics Industries (ELOP) and OHB-Systems. 

MSC provides global imagery with a revisit of 1 day.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.400 0.425 0.450 1

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 4

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 4

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 4

NIR 0.760 0.830 0.900 4
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 105

Kompsat-3

South Korea

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Kompsat-3 is a high-resolution multispectral satellite 

launched in 2012 by the Republic of Korea on the H-IIA launch 

vehicle from Tanegashima Space Center of the Japan Aerospace 

Exploration Agency (JAXA) for Earth resources monitoring. 

This mission continues the Kompsat series that has been in 

operation since the launch of Kompsat-1 in 1999. The Kompsat-3 satellite was designed and built by the Korean Aerospace 

Research Institute (KARI). It is the first satellite of Korea with 

submeter resolution. Kompsat-3 carries the Advanced Earth 

Imaging Sensor System (AEISS) sensor for high-resolution 

land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; AN, ascending 

node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; —, no data; Pan, panchromatic; 

NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 5/17/2012

Design lifetime 4 years

Platform owner KARI

Altitude 685 km

Orbit period 98.5 min

Inclination 98.13°

Crossing time 13:30 AN

Nadir repeat 28 days

Status Operational

System website https://www.kari.re.kr/eng/sub03_02_01.do

Artistic rendering of Kompsat-3 in orbit 

[Source: KARI, used with permission].

Kompsat-3 image of PyeongChang Olympic Stadium, South 

Korea [Source: KARI, used with permission].

Sensor Information

AEISS

GSD (m) 0.7, 2.8

Swath (km) 15

Data portal —

AEISS

The AEISS is a pushbroom-style imager designed by 

KARI with support from European Aeronautics Defense and 

Space Astrium.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.675 0.900 0.7

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 2.8

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 2.8

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 2.8

NIR 0.760 0.830 0.900 2.8
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

106 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Kompsat-3A

South Korea

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Kompsat-3A is a high-resolution multispectral satellite 

launched in 2015 by the Republic of Korea on a Dnepr-1 

vehicle from the Dombarovsky launch site in Russia for 

Earth resources monitoring. This mission continues the 

Kompsat series that has been in operation since the launch of 

Kompsat-1 in 1999. The Kompsat-3A satellite was designed 

and built by the Korean Aerospace Research Institute 

(KARI) and uses the TRW bus similar to Kompsat-3 design. 

It carries the improved Advanced Earth Imaging Sensor System-A (AEISS-A) sensor for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; AN, ascending node; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; —, no data; Pan, panchromatic; 

NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 3/25/2015

Design lifetime 4 years

Platform owner KARI

Altitude 528 km

Orbit period 95.21 min

Inclination 97.51°

Crossing time 13:30 AN

Nadir repeat 28 days

Status Operational

System website https://www.kari.re.kr/eng/sub03_02_01.do

Sensor Information

AEISS-A IIS

GSD (m) 0.55, 2.2 5.5

Swath (km) 12

Data portal —

Artistic rendering of Kompsat-3A in orbit [Source: KARI, used 

with permission].

Imagery of Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates, 

captured by Kompsat-3A [Source: KARI, Distribution (SI Imaging 

Services, Republic of Korea), 2019, all rights reserved, used with 

permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 107

Kompsat-3A—Continued

South Korea

Civil/Government

Operational

AEISS-A

The AEISS-A is a design from KARI built with support from European Aeronautics Defense and Space Astrium on the 

heritage of AEISS.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.675 0.900 0.55

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 2.2

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 2.8

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 2.8

NIR 0.760 0.830 0.900 5.5

IIS

The Infrared Imaging System (IIS) on Kompsat-3A was built by AIM Infrarot-Module GmbH (AIM) in Heilbronn, 

Germany.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

MWIR 3.000 4.000 5.000 5.5
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

108 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Kompsat-5

South Korea

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Kompsat-5 is a high-resolution synthetic aperture radar 

(SAR) satellite launched in 2013 by the Republic of Korea 

on a Dnepr-1 vehicle from the Dombarovsky launch site in 

Russia for Earth resources monitoring. This mission continues the Kompsat series that has been in operation since 

the launch of Kompsat-1 in 1999. Kompsat-5 is also called 

a GIS, Ocean and Land management, Disaster and Environment monitoring (GOLDEN) mission. The Kompsat-5 

satellite was designed and built by the Korean Aerospace 

Research Institute (KARI) with the support of private industries in Korea. Kompsat-5 carries the Corea SAR Instrument 

(COSI) sensor for high-resolution SAR data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter;—, no data; H, horizontal, V, vertical]

Launch date 8/22/2013

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner KARI

Altitude 550 km

Orbit period 95.78 min

Inclination 97.6°

Crossing time 6:00 AN

Nadir repeat 28 days

Status Operational

System website https://www.kari.re.kr/eng/sub03_02_01.do

Artistic rendering of Kompsat-5 [Source: ESA].

Kompsat-5 image of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates [Source: 

KARI, Distribution (SI Imaging Services, Republic of Korea), 

2019, all rights reserved, used with permission].

Sensor Information

COSI

GSD (m) 1–20 (selectable)

Swath (km) 5–100 (selectable)

Data portal — COSI

The COSI is a design by Thales Alenia Space for KARI. It provides high-resolution imagery in X-band at 9.66 GHz 

(λ = 3.1 cm). The angle of incidence is 20–55 degrees.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width (km) Approximate resolution (m)

High Resolution (HR) Single HH, HV, VH, VV 5 1

Standard (ST) Single HH, HV, VH, VV 30 3

Wideswath (WS) Single HH, HV, VH, VV 100 20
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 109

Kompsat-6

South Korea

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

Kompsat-6 is an all-weather, high-resolution synthetic aperture 

radar (SAR) satellite scheduled for launch in 2020 by the Republic of 

Korea on an Angara 1.2 launch vehicle from Plesetsk Cosmodrome 

in Russia for Earth resources monitoring. This mission continues the 

Kompsat series that has been in continuous operation since the launch 

of Kompsat-1 in 1999. The Kompsat-6 satellite is being built by LIG 

Nex1 Co., Ltd., of Korea and Airbus Defense and Space for the Korean 

Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). Kompsat-6 will carry the X-SAR 

sensor for high-resolution SAR data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; AN, ascending node; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; —, no data; H, horizontal; V, vertical]

Launch date 2020 (Planned)

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner KARI

Altitude 505 km

Orbit period 94.71 min

Inclination 97.6°

Crossing time 6:00 AN

Nadir repeat 11 days

Status Development

System website https://www.kari.re.kr/eng/sub03_02_01.do

Illustrations showing the Kompsat-6 on-orbit 

configuration and beam mode [Source: KARI, used 

with permission].

Sensor Information

X-SAR

GSD (m) 0.5–20 (selectable)

Swath (km) 5–100 (selectable)

Data portal —

X-SAR

The X-band SAR is a multimode instrument built by Airbus that operates at 9.66 GHz (λ = 3.1 cm). 

The angle of incidence is 20–60 degrees.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width (km) Approximate resolution (m)

High Resolution-A Single HH, HV, VV, VH 5 0.5

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH

Quad HH/HV/VV/VH

High Resolution-B Single HH, HV, VV, VH 10 1

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH

Quad HH/HV/VV/VH

Standard Single HH, HV, VV, VH 30 3

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH

Quad HH/HV/VV/VH

Wide Swath Single HH, HV, VV, VH 100 20

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH

Quad HH/HV/VV/VH
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

110 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Kompsat-7

South Korea

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

Kompsat-7 is a high-resolution multispectral satellite scheduled for launch in 2021 by the Republic of Korea 

for Earth resources monitoring. This mission continues the 

Kompsat series that has been in continual operation since 

the launch of Kompsat-1 in 1999. The Kompsat-7 satellite 

is being built by an undisclosed Korean company using the 

Korean technologies for by the Korean Aerospace Research 

Institute (KARI). Kompsat-7 carries the improved Advanced 

Earth Imaging Sensor System-High Resolution (AEISS-HR) 

sensor for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; —, no data; 

AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near infrared; MWIR, midwave infrared]

Launch date 2021 (Planned)

Design lifetime 4 years

Platform owner KARI

Altitude 685 km

Orbit period 98.5 min

Inclination —

Crossing time 10:50 AN

Nadir repeat 28 days

Status Planned

System website https://www.kari.re.kr/eng/sub03_02_01.do

Sensor Information

AEISS-HR

GSD (m) 0.3, 1.2, 4

Swath (km) —

Data portal —

AEISS-HR

AEISS-HR is a high-resolution multispectral imager on Kompsat-7 built by Korea. It is an improvement to the AEISS 

sensor flown on previous Kompsats. The GSD is improved to 30 cm in panchromatic, 1.2 m in visible and near infrared, and 

4 m in infrared.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.675 0.900 0.3

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 1.2

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 1.2

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 1.2

NIR 0.760 0.830 0.900 4

MWIR 3.000 4.000 5.000 4
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 111

Landmapper-BC 3 v2

United States

Commercial

Operational/Future

Platform Overview

The Landmapper-BC satellites are medium-resolution, multispectral 

satellites for commercial Earth observation. Astro Digital plans to have a 

constellation of 8 to 12 Landmapper-BC satellites to provide daily imaging of all Earth land areas. Landmapper 1 and 2 failed shortly after their 

July 2017 launch. Landmapper 3 and 4 were lost due to a launch failure 

in November 2017. Landmapper-BC 3 v2 was successfully launched in 

January 2018. At least eight more Landmapper-BC satellites are planned. 

The Landmapper-BC satellites are based on the Perseus-O satellites 

developed at Canopus System Inc. The system captures medium-resolution imagery that is commercially available.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; —, no data; 

DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 1/14/2018

Platform owner Astro Digital Inc.

Design lifetime 5 years

Altitude 650 km

Orbit period 97.7 min

Inclination 97.98°

Crossing time 10:00 DN

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website https://www.astrodigital.com/

Sensor Information

Landmapper-BC Imager

GSD (m) 22

Swath (km) 220

Data portal https://www.astrodigital.com/api/

Artistic rendering of Landmapper-BC satellite 

[Source: Astro Digital, used with permission].

Image of Landmapper-BC imager [Source: 

Astro Digital, used with permission].

Landmapper-BC Imager

The imager consists of three separate cameras for green, red, and NIR bands similar to the SLIM6 imager used on the 

DMC systems. These bands are used to calculate the productivity of plants and estimate crop yields.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 22

Red 0.600 0.640 0.680 22

NIR 0.700 0.800 0.900 22
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

112 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Landsat 7

United States

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Landsat 7 is a medium-resolution multispectral satellite launched in 1999 by the National 

Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 

and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on a Delta-II 

rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base for Earth 

resources monitoring. This mission continues the 

Landsat series that has been in continual operation 

since the launch of Landsat 1 in 1972. The Landsat 

7 satellite was designed and built by Lockheed 

Martin Missiles and Space for NASA and uses the 

TIROS-N bus. Landsat 7 carries the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensor for mediumresolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near infrared; SWIR, shortwave infrared; TIR, thermal infrared]

Launch date 4/15/1999

Platform owner USGS/NASA

Altitude 705 km

Orbit period 98.98 min

Inclination 98.2°

Crossing time 10:00 DN

Nadir repeat 16 days

Design lifetime 5 years

Status Operational

System website https://landsat.usgs.gov/landsat-7

Sensor Information

ETM+

GSD (m) 15, 30, 60

Swath (km) 185

Data portal https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/

https://glovis.usgs.gov/app

Artistic rendering of Landsat 7 in orbit [Source: NASA].

Landsat 7 imagery of Seattle, Washington [Source: NASA].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 113

Landsat 7—Continued

United States

Civil/Government

Operational

ETM+

The ETM+ sensor was built by Hughes Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. This sensor was an improvement to the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor on previous Landsat satellites with the addition of a 15 m resolution panchromatic band and a 

60 m resolution thermal band replacing the 120 m band of TM. The 185 km swath width is maintained from the TM sensor. 

The operational model is to continually map the Earth, gathering as much data as practical on every orbit. ETM+ data are 

freely available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.520 0.710 0.900 15

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 30

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 30

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 30

NIR 0.775 0.838 0.900 30

SWIR 1 1.550 1.650 1.750 30

SWIR 2 2.090 2.220 2.350 30

TIR 10.400 11.450 12.500 60
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

114 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Landsat 8 and 9

United States

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

Platform Overview

The Landsat 8 and 9 medium-resolution 

satellites continue the ongoing Landsat data 

record collected continuously since 1972 

with the launch of the Earth Resources 

Technology Satellite (ERTS), later renamed 

Landsat 1. Landsat 8, launched in 2013, will 

be joined by Landsat 9 following its planned 

2020 launch date. Together they will provide 

continuous synoptic coverage of the Earth’s 

land areas with a combined 8-day repeat. 

The Landsat program is managed jointly by 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). NASA is responsible for procuring, integrating, and launching each mission, and providing on-orbit verification of performance. The USGS 

provides science and operational data user requirements during mission formulation and, following on-orbit verification of 

performance, is responsible for operations, data reception, archiving, and distribution for the remaining life of the mission.

The Landsat 8 satellite bus was designed and built by Orbital Sciences for NASA and uses the LEOStar-3 bus with the 

Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) sensors. The Landsat 9 bus is being built by Northrup 

Grumman/Orbital ATK using modestly improved OLI-2 and TIRS-2 sensors.

Artistic rendering of Landsat 8 in orbit [Source: NASA].

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending node; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; Pan, panchromatic, CA, coastal aerosol; NIR, near 

infrared; SWIR, short wave infrared; TIR, thermal infrared]

Landsat 8 Landsat 9

Launch date 2/11/2013 December 2020 (planned)

Platform owner NASA/USGS

Altitude 705 km

Orbit period 98.98 min

Inclination 98.2°

Crossing time 10:00 DN

Nadir repeat 16 days

Design lifetime 5 years

Status Operational Development

System website https://landsat.usgs.gov/

landsat-8

https://landsat.usgs.gov/

landsat-9-mission

Sensor Information

OLI TIRS

GSD (m) 15, 30 100

Swath (km) 185

Data portal https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/ https://glovis.usgs.gov/app

Landsat 8 OLI image of Netherland’s coast 

showing flower fields [Source: NASA].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 115

Landsat 8 and 9—Continued

United States

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

OLI

The OLI sensor aboard Landsat 8 and 9 was built by Ball Aerospace Technology Corp. based on technologies proven 

in the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) aboard Earth Observing-1 (EO-1). The OLI sensor in Landsat 8 and 9 adds a coastal 

aerosol band as well as a cirrus band to complement the bands on the ETM+ sensor on Landsat 7. The 185 km swath width is 

maintained from previous Landsat TM and ETM+ sensors. The operational model is to continually map the Earth, gathering 

as much sunlit land imagery as practical on every orbit. The 12 bit radiometric resolution of Landsat 8 is being increased to 

14 bits with Landsat 9. OLI data are freely available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.503 0.590 0.676 15

CA 0.435 0.443 0.451 30

Blue 0.452 0.482 0.512 30

Green 0.533 0.562 0.590 30

Red 0.637 0.655 0.673 30

NIR 0.851 0.865 0.879 30

Cirrus 1.363 1.374 1.384 30

SWIR 1 1.566 1.609 1.651 30

SWIR 2 2.107 2.204 2.300 30

TIRS

The TIRS is a new design built by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The GSD of 100 m is provided with 

two spectral bands in the thermal infrared region. Landsat 9 will also carry a second-generation TIRS instrument of similar 

specifications and enhanced reliability. The 12-bit radiometric resolution of Landsat 8 is being increased to 14 bits with Landsat 9. TIRS data are freely available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

TIR 10.600 10.895 11.190 100

11.500 12.005 12.510 100
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

116 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Mohammed VI-A and -B

Morocco

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Mohammed VI-A and -B are high-resolution, multispectral, and panchromatic satellites for mapping and land 

surveying developed by Royal Center for Remote Sensing 

(CRTS) in Morocco. Mohammed VI-A was launched in 2017 

on a Vega launch vehicle. Mohammed VI-B was launched in 

2018. The Mohammed VI satellite platforms were designed 

and built by Airbus and use the AstroSat-1000 bus. The 

Mohammed VI satellites carry the High-Resolution Imager 

(HiRI) sensor for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN,descending node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

NIR, near infrared]

Mohammed VI-A Mohammed VI-B

Launch date 11/8/2017 11/20/2018

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner CRTS

Altitude 630 km

Orbit period 97.5 min

Inclination 98°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website —

Artistic rendering of Pleiades satellite (identical to MohammedVIA satellite) in orbit [Source: CNES, used with permission].

Sensor Information

HiRI

GSD (m) 0.7, 2.8

Swath (km) —

Data portal —

HiRI

The HiRI aboard the Mohammed VI satellites was developed and built by Thales Alenia Space and is of Pleiades HiRI 

heritage.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.725 1.000 0.7

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 2.8

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 2.8

Red 0.600 0.640 0.680 2.8

NIR 0.730 1.015 1.300 2.8
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 117

NigeriaSat-2

Nigeria

Commercial

Operational

Platform Overview

NigeriaSat-2 is a high-resolution, multispectral, and 

panchromatic imaging minisatellite launched alongside 

NigeriaSat-X in 2011 on a Dnepr-1 launch vehicle for 

Earth observation and disaster monitoring. NigeriaSat-2 is 

based on the newly developed SSTL-300 bus. The Nigerian National Space Research and Development Agency 

(NASRDA), in partnership with Surrey Satellite Technology, 

Ltd., (SSTL), built the satellite. NigeriaSat-2 carries the Very 

High-Resolution Imager (VHRI) and the Medium Resolution 

Imager (MRI) for land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 8/17/2011

Platform owner NASRDA

Altitude 715 km

Orbit period 99.8 min

Inclination 98.24°

Crossing time 10:30 AN

Nadir repeat 5 days

Design lifetime 7.5 years

Status Operational

System website http://nasrda.gov.ng/en/

Sensor Information

VHRI MRI

GSD (m) 2.5, 5 32

Swath (km) 20 300

Data portal http://www.dmcii.com/

Salvador, State of Bahia, 

Brazil—NigeriaSat-2 satellite. 

[Source: NASRDA, 2014, all 

rights reserved, supplied by 

DMCii, used with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

118 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

NigeriaSat-2—Continued

Nigeria

Commercial

Operational

VHRI

The VHRI was built by SSTL and is of CMT (China Mapping Telescope flown on Bejing-1) heritage. The VHRI is 

essentially a scaled-up version of CMT, giving it a wider aperture. The VHRI data are commercially available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.400 0.645 0.890 2.5

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 5

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 5

Red 0.600 0.645 0.690 5

NIR 0.770 0.830 0.890 5

MRI

The MRI is based on the SLIM6 sensor flown on NigeriaSat-1. The MRI provides continuity with DMC data and has 

one-half the swath width of SLIM6 and an additional spectral band (four total). NigeriaSat-2’s swath can be artificially widened by taking advantage of the satellite’s agility. The MRI data are commercially available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 32

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 32

Red 0.600 0.645 0.690 32

NIR 0.770 0.830 0.890 32
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 119

NISAR

United States, India

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

The NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite 

(NISAR) is planned to be launched in 2021 on the Indian Space 

Research Organization’s (ISRO) Geo Stationary Launch Vehicle 

(GSLV)-II for Earth resource monitoring, disaster planning, and 

infrastructure monitoring. The NISAR satellite is being built 

jointly by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and ISRO. 

ISRO is designing the I-3K (I-3000) bus, which has been used 

on geostationary satellites previously. NISAR will carry the 

L-band and S-band polarimetric synthetic aperture radar sensors 

for collection of high-resolution SAR data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending 

node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; km, kilometer; —, no data; 

H, horizontal; V, vertical]

Launch date 2021 (Planned)

Platform owner NASA/IRSO

Altitude 747 km

Orbit period 98.5 min

Inclination 98.4°

Crossing time 6:00 DN

Nadir repeat 12 days

Design lifetime 3 years

Status Development

System website https://nisar.jpl.nasa.gov/

Artistic rendering of NISAR in orbit [Source: NASA].

Sensor Information

L-band S-band

GSD (m) 3–24 (selectable) 3–48 (selectable)

Swath (km) 240 (selectable)

Data portal —

L-band / S-band

The L-band SAR and S-band instruments aboard NISAR are new instruments designed and built by ISRO and JPL. The 

SAR systems employ an innovation called SweepSAR—developed jointly with the German Space Agency (DLR)—which 

allows the instruments to provide wide area coverage and fine spatial resolution at the same time. The L-band instrument 

operates at 1.257 GHz (λ = 23.85 cm). The S-band instrument operates at 3.2 GHz (λ = 9.37 cm). The angle of incidence for 

both instruments is 33–47 degrees. Data will be freely available.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width (km) Approximate resolution (m)

S-band

Single HH, VV

— — Dual HH/HV, VV/VH

Compact RH/RV

Quasi-Quad HH/HV, VH/VV

L-band

Single HH, VV

— — Dual HH/HV, VV/VH

Compact RH/RV

Quad HH/HV/VH/VV
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

120 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

ÑuSat-1 to -8 Argentina

Commercial

Operational/Future

Platform Overview

The Aleph-1 constellation of ÑuSat satellites consists of multiresolution multispectral satellites for commercial Earth imaging. The first five satellites (ÑuSat-1 to -5) were 

launched between 2016 and early 2018. ÑuSat-6 to -8 are planned to be launched in 2018. 

The ÑuSat satellites are developed, built, and operated by Satellogic, headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The satellites carry the Panchromatic (PAN) and Multispectral Imager 

(MSI) for high-resolution land imaging and the Hyperspectral Imager (HIS) and Thermal 

Infrared Imager (TIR) for medium-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; AN, ascending node; —, no data; GSD, ground 

sample distance; m, meter; NIR, near-infrared; TIR, thermal infrared; Hyper, hyperspectral]

Ñ-1 Ñ-2 Ñ-3 Ñ-4 Ñ-5 Ñ-6 Ñ-7 Ñ-8

Launch date 5/30/2016 6/15/17 2/2/2018 2019 (Planned)

Design lifetime 3 years

Platform owner Satellogic

Altitude 500 km

Orbit period 94.62 min

Inclination 97.5°

Crossing time 10:30 AN

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational Development

System website https://www.satellogic.com/

Sensor Information

PAN MSI HSI TIR

GSD (m) 1 1 30 90

Swath (km) 5 5 150 92

Data portal https://www.satellogic.com/data-streams

Artistic rendering of a 

ÑuSat in orbit [Source: 

Satellogic, used with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 121

ÑuSat-1 to -8—Continued Argentina

Commercial

Operational/Future

PAN

PAN data are commercially available from Satellogic.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.400 0.650 0.900 1.00

MSI

MSI data are commercially available from Satellogic.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.400 0.545 0.690 1.00

Blue 0.400 0.455 0.510 1.00

Green 0.510 0.545 0.580 1.00

Red 0.580 0.635 0.690 1.00

NIR 0.750 0.825 0.900 1.00

HSI

HSI data are commercially available from Satellogic.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Hyper 0.400 0.650 0.900 30.00

TIR

TIR data are commercially available from Satellogic.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

TIR 8.000 11.000 14.000 90.00
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

122 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

OceanSat-2

India

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

OceanSat-2 is a low-resolution multispectral satellite launched 

in 2009 on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Satish 

Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) for ocean monitoring. This mission is 

a follow-on to OceanSat-1, which was launched in 1999. OceanSat-2 

was designed and built by the Indian Space Research Organization 

(ISRO) and uses the proven Indian Remote-sensing Satellite (IRS) 

bus. OceanSat-2 carries the Ocean Color Monitor–2 (OCM-2) sensor for low-resolution ocean imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending node; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; CA, coastal aerosol; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 9/23/2009

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude 720 km

Orbit period 99.31 min

Inclination 98.28°

Crossing time 12:00 AN

Nadir repeat 2 days

Status Operational

System website https://www.isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/

oceansat-2

3-Dimensional model of OceanSat-2 [Source: ISRO, 

used with permission].

OceanSat-2 image of the Irrawaddy River Delta, Bay of 

Bengal [Source: ISRO, used with permission].

Sensor Information

OCM-2

GSD (m) 360

Swath (km) 1,440

Data portal http://uops.nrsc.gov.in:33333/ImgeosUops/

FinalImgeosUops/FinalImgeosUops.html

OCM-2

The OCM-2 sensor is a modestly improved version of 

the OCM sensor flown on OceanSat-1. OCM-2 is nearly 

identical to the original OCM sensor. One of the few changes 

is that bands 6 and 7 are slightly shifted. The ground sample 

distance and swath width remain the same as OCM. OCM-2 

data are commercially available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

CA 0.404 0.414 0.424 360

CA 0.431 0.441 0.451 360

Blue 0.476 0.486 0.496 360

Blue 0.500 0.510 0.520 360

Green 0.546 0.556 0.566 360

Red 0.610 0.620 0.630 360

NIR 0.725 0.740 0.755 360

NIR 0.845 0.865 0.885 360
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 123

OceanSat-3 and -3A

India

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

OceanSat-3 and -3A are low-resolution multispectral 

satellites planned to be launched in 2019 and 2020, respectively, on Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs) from the 

Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) for ocean monitoring. 

OceanSat-3 and -3A are being designed and built by the 

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and will use 

the proven Indian Remote-sensing Satellite (IRS) bus. These 

missions will provide continuity for users of OCM data. 

OceanSat-3 and -3A also have an additional thermal sensor. 

The OceanSat series of satellites has been operational since 

the launch of OceanSat-1 in 1999. OceanSat-3 carries the 

Ocean Color Monitor–3 (OCM-3) sensor and the Sea Surface 

Temperature Monitor–1 (SSTM-1) sensor for low-resolution 

ocean imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meter; km, kilometer; CA, coastal aerosol; NIR, near infrared; 

TIR, thermal infrared]

OceanSat-3 OceanSat-3A

Launch date 2019 (Planned) 2020 (Planned)

Design lifetime —

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude —

Orbit period —

Inclination —

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat —

Status —

System website —

3-Dimensional model of OceanSat-3 

[Source: ISRO, used with permission].

Sensor Information

OCM-3 SSTM-1

GSD (m) 360 1,080

Swath (km) 1,400

Data portal https://www.isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/

oceansat-2
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

124 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

OceanSat-3 and -3A—Continued

India

Civil/Government

Future

OCM-3

The OCM-3 sensor is an improved version of the OCM-2 sensor flown on OceanSat-2. OCM-3 has five additional 

bands. The GSD and swath width remain nearly the same as OCM-2. OCM-3 data will be commercially available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

CA 0.407 0.412 0.417 360

CA 0.438 0.443 0.448 360

Blue 0.485 0.490 0.495 360

Green 0.505 0.510 0.515 360

Green 0.550 0.555 0.560 360

Green 0.561 0.566 0.571 360

Red 0.615 0.620 0.625 360

Red 0.665 0.670 0.675 360

Red 0.677 0.681 0.685 360

Red Edge 0.705 0.710 0.715 360

NIR 0.775 0.780 0.785 360

NIR 0.860 0.870 0.880 360

NIR 1.000 1.010 1.020 360

SSTM-1

The SSTM-1 sensor is a new sensor introduced to the OceanSat series of satellites. SSTM-1 adds two thermal bands to 

OceanSat-3’s capabilities. SSTM-1 data will be commercially available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

TIR 10.750 11.000 11.250 1,080

TIR 11.750 12.000 12.250 1,080
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 125

PACE

United States

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem satellite (PACE) is a low-resolution, wide swath hyperspectral 

satellite to be launched in 2022 for measuring atmospheric 

and hydrologic characteristics. PACE will extend and 

improve NASA’s satellite observation records of global 

ocean biogeochemistry, aerosols, and clouds. PACE is being 

developed by NASA’s GSFC and carries the hyperspectral 

Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) optical spectrometer sensor 

for low-resolution imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; —, no data; UV, ultraviolet; CA, coastal aerosol; NIR, near infrared; SWIR, short wave infrared]

Launch date 2022 (planned)

Platform owner NASA

Altitude 676.5 km

Orbit period 98 min

Inclination 98°

Crossing time 13:00 AN

Nadir repeat 2 days

Design lifetime 3 years

Status Development

System website https://pace.oceansciences.org/

Sensor Information

OCI

GSD (m) 1,000, 4,000

Swath (km) 2,000

Data portal —

Artistic rendering of The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean 

Ecosystem satellite (PACE) in orbit [Source: NASA].

Artistic rendering of the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) 

[Source: NASA].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

126 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

PACE—Continued

United States

Civil/Government

Future

OCI

The OCI aboard PACE was built by Goddard Space Flight center based on a long heritage of NASA technology development and flight programs. The OCI takes advantage of advancements made developing previous instruments such as 

ORCA, CZCS, SeaWiFS, VIIRS, and MODIS. The satellite also uses a polarimeter for calibration. OCI data will be freely 

available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

UV 0.343 0.350 0.358 1,000

UV 0.353 0.360 0.368 1,000

UV 0.378 0.385 0.393 1,000

CA 0.405 0.412 0.420 1,000

CA 0.418 0.425 0.433 1,000

CA 0.436 0.443 0.451 1,000

Blue 0.453 0.460 0.468 1,000

Blue 0.468 0.475 0.483 1,000

Blue 0.483 0.490 0.498 1,000

Blue 0.503 0.510 0.518 1,000

Green 0.525 0.532 0.540 1,000

Green 0.548 0.555 0.563 1,000

Green 0.576 0.583 0.591 1,000

Red 0.610 0.617 0.625 1,000

Red 0.635 0.640 0.645 1,000

Red 0.648 0.655 0.663 1,000

Red 0.660 0.665 0.670 1,000

Red 0.673 0.678 0.683 4000

Red Edge 0.703 0.710 0.718 1,000

NIR 0.743 0.748 0.753 1,000

NIR 0.813 0.820 0.828 1,000

NIR 0.845 0.865 0.885 1,000

NIR 1.230 1.240 1.250 1,000

SWIR 1 1.620 1.640 1.660 1,000

SWIR 2 2.105 2.130 2.155 1,000
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 127

PeruSat-1

Peru

Civil/Government 

Operational

Platform Overview

PeruSat-1 is a high-resolution multispectral satellite 

launched in 2016 by the Peruvian Space Agency (CONIDA) 

on a Vega launcher from Kourou, French Guiana, for Earth 

resources monitoring. The PeruSat-1 satellite was designed 

and built by Airbus Defense and Space and uses the AstroBus-S satellite bus, a smaller version of the Astrobus-5000. 

PeruSat-1 carries the New AstroSat Optical Modular Instrument (NAOMI) sensor for civil and military applications.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; —, no data; 

DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

Pan, panchromatic]

Launch date 9/16/2016

Design lifetime 10 years

Platform owner CONIDA

Altitude 695 km

Orbit period 98.64 min

Inclination 98.3°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website https://www.airbus.com/space/

earth-observation/perusat.html

Artistic rendering of PeruSat-1 [Source: Airbus DS, used with 

permission].

PeruSat-1 image of Cuajone, a large copper mine in Peru 

[Source: Airbus DS, used with permission].

Sensor Information

NAOMI

GSD (m) 0.7, 2

Swath (km) 60

Data portal —

NAOMI

The NAOMI sensor is a proven design from Airbus 

used on the Alsat-2, SPOT-6, SPOT-7, and VNREDSat-1A 

satellites. This sensor provides an improved resolution of 

0.7 m in panchromatic and 2 m in visible and near infrared 

bands. The swath width and operational capability remain the 

same as the previous versions of the sensor.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.600 0.750 0.7

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 2

Green 0.530 0.565 0.600 2

Red 0.620 0.655 0.690 2

NIR 0.760 0.825 0.890 2
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

128 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Planet’s Mission-1

United States

Commercial

Operational

Platform Overview

Mission-1 is a high-resolution multispectral satellite constellation built, 

launched, and operated by Planet for Earth 

observation. Dove-1 and -2 were launched in 

2013 as technology demonstration satellites 

followed by the Flocks. Flocks 1a, 1b, 1c, 

1d, 1d’, 2e, and 2e’ (about 115 satellites) 

were launched into an orbit similar to ISS, 

whereas Flocks 2p, 3p, 3m, 2k, and Dove 

Pioneer ( about 180 satellites) were launched 

into an SSO orbit. The operational Flock 

satellites carry multispectral imagers that 

together can image the Earth daily in the visible and near-infrared parts of the spectrum. 

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; —, no data; DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; NIR, near 

infrared]

Constellation Flock-1a Flock-1b Flock-1c Flock-1d Flock-1d’ Flock-1e Flock-2e Flock-2e’

Launch date 1/9/2014 7/13/2014 6/19/2014 10/28/2014 1/9/2015 4/13/2015 12/6/2015 3/23/2016

Design lifetime 1 year 1 year 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 3 years 3 years

Platform owner Planet

Altitude 420 km

Orbit period 92.96 min

Inclination 52°

Crossing time — — — — — — — —

Nadir repeat — — — — — — — —

Status Retired Retired Retired Launch failure Retired Retired Retired Retired

System website https://www.planet.com

Constellation Flock-2p Flock-3p Flock-3m Flock-2k Dove Pioneer

Launch date 6/22/2016 2/15/2017 10/31/2017 7/14/2017 1/21/2018

Design lifetime 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years

Platform owner Planet

Altitude 475 km

Orbit period 94.1 min

Inclination 97.3 ̊

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 1 day

Status Operational

System website https://www.planet.com

Flock satellite [Source: Planet Labs Inc., used with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 129

Planet’s Mission-1—Continued

United States

Commercial

Operational

Sensor Information

PS-1 PS-2

GSD (m) 2.7 4

Swath (km) 20 24

Data portal https://www.planet.com/products/planet-imagery/

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 4

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 4

Red 0.600 0.640 0.680 4

NIR 0.730 1.015 1.300 4

Image of Pamplona, Spain, by Dove satellite. [Source: Planet 

Labs Inc., used with permission].

PLANET SCOPE-1

The Planet Scope-1 (PS-1) is a three-band multispectral imager used on early Flock satellites (1a–1e). PS-1 images the 

Earth in the visible spectrum, providing imagery daily at a ground sample distance (GSD) of 2.7 m. Data are available to 

customers by way of Planet’s commercial portal.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 2.7

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 2.7

Red 0.600 0.640 0.680 2.7

PLANET SCOPE-2

The Planet Scope-2 (PS-2) is an improved version of the PS-1 carried by second generation flock satellites (2e–2k). 

PS-2 images the Earth in four bands (3 visible, 1 near infrared) providing imagery daily at a GSD of 4 m. Data are available 

to customers by way of Planet’s commercial portal.
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

130 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Pleiades-HR (1A and 1B)

France

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

The Pleiades-HR constellation of high-resolution multispectral satellites consists of Pleiades-1A and Pleiades-1B 

launched in 2011 and 2012, respectively, by the National 

Center for Space Studies (CNES) on Soyuz ST launchers 

from Kourou, French Guiana, for intelligence and Earth 

resources monitoring. This mission is completely funded by 

CNES and has been in continual operation since 2011.

The Pleiades-HR series of satellites were designed and 

built by Airbus for CNES and use the Astrosat-1000 bus and 

a High-Resolution Imager (HiRI). Imagery in visible and 

near infrared is gathered for civil and military applications.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

Pan, Panchromatic; NIR, near infrared]

Pleiades-1A Pleiades-1B

Launch date 12/17/2011 12/1/2012

Platform owner CNES

Altitude 694 km

Orbit period 98.6 min

Inclination 98.2°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 26 days

Design lifetime 5 years

Status Operational

System website https://pleiades.cnes.fr/en/PLEIADES/

index.htm

Sensor Information

HiRI

GSD (m) 0.7,2.8

Swath (km) 20

Data portal https://www.intelligence-airbusds.com/

pleiades/

Artistic rendering of Pleiades-1A in orbit [Source: CNES/ill/

DUCROS David, 2018, used with permission].

Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park [Source: 

CNES/Distribution Airbus DS, 2012, used with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 131

Pleiades-HR (1A and 1B)—Continued

France

Civil/Government

Operational

HiRI

The HiRI sensor aboard the Pleiades-HR (1A and 1B) satellites is a design from Thales Alenia Space-France (TAS-F). 

The GSD of 2.8 m in visible and near infrared and 0.7 m in Pan with a swath width of 20 km is provided on a global and 

targeted basis. Data are available to customers through Airbus’s commercial portal.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.480 0.650 0.820 0.7

Blue 0.450 0.490 0.530 2.8

Green 0.510 0.550 0.590 2.8

Red 0.620 0.660 0.700 2.8

NIR 0.775 0.845 0.915 2.8
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

132 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

PRISMA

Italy

Civil/Government 

Operational

Platform Overview

The Hyperspectral Precursor of the Application Mission 

(PRISMA) is a medium-resolution hyperspectral satellite launched March 2019 by ASI on a Vega launcher for 

environmental monitoring. PRISMA was developed at Carlo 

Gavazzi Space (CGS) of Milan, Italy. The satellite is based 

on a minisatellite bus of MITA heritage. PRISMA carries a 

hyperspectral sensor for medium-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; km, kilometer; —, no data; Pan, panchromatic; Hyper, hyperspectral]

Launch date 03/21/2019

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner ASI

Altitude 615 km

Orbit period 97 min

Inclination 97.84°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 29 days

Status Commissioning

System website http://prisma-i.it/

Sensor Information

PRISMA

GSD (m) 5, 30

Swath (km) 30

Data portal —

PRISMA satellite in development [Source: ASI, used 

with permission].

Prototype model of the PRISMA sensor [Source: ASI, 

used with permission].

PRISMA

The hyperspectral sensor is primarily being developed by Selex ES of Campi Bisenzio, Italy. The imager has approximately 250 bands. The instrument is based on the prism spectrometer concept.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.575 0.700 5

Hyper 0.400 1.450 2.500 30
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 133

PROBA-1

European Space Agency

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Project for On-Board Autonomy-1 (PROBA-1) is a medium-resolution hyperspectral satellite launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2001 on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle 

(PSLV) for technology demonstration and Earth observation. This is the first satellite in the PROBA 

series manufactured by Verhaert Space NV along with 18 other contractors. Proba-1 was followed 

by Proba-2 and Proba-V, currently in operation. Proba-3 is under development. Proba-1 carries the 

Compact High-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (CHRIS) for medium-resolution hyperspectral 

imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample 

distance; m, meter; Hyper, hyperspectral]

Launch date 10/22/2001

Design lifetime 1 year 

Platform owner ESA

Altitude 621 km

Orbit period 96.97 min

Inclination 97.9 ̊

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 7 days

Status Operational

System website http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Proba-1/Overview

Sensor Information

CHRIS

GSD (m) 18

Swath (km) 14

Data portal https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/-/proba-chris-level-1a-1488

Proba-1 during vibration tests [Source: 

ESA].

CHRIS’s image of Ardennes, 

Belgium [Source: ESA].

CHRIS

The CHRIS instrument is a hyperspectral sensor designed to image the Earth in 19 visible and near infrared (VNIR) 

bands at a ground sample distance (GSD) of 18 m. CHRIS can be reconfigured to provide 63 bands at a GSD of 34 m and 

150 bands at a lower GSD. Data are available for free at https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/-/proba-chris-level-1a-1488.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Hyper 0.415 0.733 1.050 18
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

134 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

PROBA-V

European Space Agency

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Project for On-Board Autonomy-V (PROBA-V) is a 

medium-resolution multispectral satellite launched by the 

European Space Agency (ESA) in 2013 on a Vega launcher 

for Earth observation. This is the third satellite in the 

PROBA series manufactured by QinetiQ Space Belgium. 

Proba-V will be followed by Proba-3. Proba-V carries a 

Vegetation Instrument (VI) for low-resolution vegetation 

monitoring.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

NIR, near infrared; SWIR, shortwave infrared]

Launch date 05/07/2013

Design lifetime 2.5 years

Platform owner ESA

Altitude 820 km

Orbit period 101 min

Inclination 98.73 ̊

Crossing time 11:00 DN

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/missions/

esa-operational-eo-missions/proba-v

Artistic rendering of Proba-V satellite in orbit [Source: ESA].

Sensor Information

VI

GSD (m) 100

Swath (km) 2,250

Data portal http://proba-v.vgt.vito.be/en/product-access

Proba-V image of South Korea (ESA) [Source: ESA].

VEGETATION INSTRUMENT

The VI sensor on PROBA-V is intended to extend the 

dataset of the Spot-4 and -5 instruments. With a swath width 

of 2,250 km, VI images the Earth in visible, near infrared, 

andshortwave infrared wavelengths providing a ground 

sample distance of 100 m. Data are available for free.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.430 0.450 0.470 100

Red 0.610 0.645 0.680 100

NIR 0.790 0.840 0.890 100

SWIR 1 1.580 1.665 1.750 300
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 135

RADARSAT Constellation Mission

Canada

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

The RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) will 

consist of three small high-resolution synthetic aperture radar 

(SAR) satellites to be launched in early 2019 by Canadian 

Space Agency and MDA for Earth observation. The RCM 

satellites will operate in tandem with RADARSAT-2, significantly improving revisit. The RCM satellite bus is based on 

the Magellan MAC-200 bus designed by Bristol Aerospace. 

The bus is also referred to as the Canadian Smallsat Bus. The 

RCM satellites will carry the SAR sensor for high-resolution 

SAR data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

—, no data; H, horizontal; V, vertical]

Launch date 06/11/2019

Design lifetime 7 years

Platform owner CSA / MDA

Altitude 500 km

Orbit period 96.4 min

Inclination 97.74°

Crossing time 6:00 DN

Nadir repeat 12 days

Status Planned

System website http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/

radarsat/default.asp

Sensor Information

SAR

Resolution (m) 1–100 (selectable)

Swath (km) 14–500 (selectable)

Data portal —

Artistic rendering of RADARSAT Constellation Mission satellites 

in orbit [Source: MDA/NASA, used with permission].

RADARSAT Constellation imaging modes [Source: CSA].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

136 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

RADARSAT Constellation Mission—

Continued

Canada

Civil/Government

Future

SAR

The SAR instrument aboard the RCM satellites is derived from RADARSAT-2’s SAR instrument. The ground sample 

distance will be the same, and the size of the antenna will be decreased. The SAR instrument operates in the C-band at 

5.405 GHz (λ = 5.5 cm). The angle of incidence is 19–53 degrees. SAR data are available through MDA.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width 

(km)

Approximate resolution 

(m)

Low Resolution Single

Dual

HH, VV, HV, VH 500 100 x 100

HH/HV, VV/VH, HH/VV, Compact

Medium Resolution 50 m Single HH, VV, HV, VH 350 50 x 50

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH, HH/VV, Compact

Medium Resolution 30 m Single HH, VV, HV, VH 125 30 x 30

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH, HH/VV, Compact

Medium Resolution 16 m Single HH, VV, HV, VH 30 16 x 16

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH, HH/VV, Compact

High Resolution Single HH, VV, HV, VH 30 5 x 5

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH, HH/VV, Compact

Very High Resolution 3 m Single HH, VV, HV, VH 20 3 x 3

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH, HH/VV, Compact

Low Noise Single HH, VV, HV, VH 350 100 x 100

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH, Compact

Ship Detection Single HH, VV, HV, VH 350 Variable

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH, Compact

Spotlight Single HH, VV, HV, VH 14 [5 km in azimuth] 1 x 3

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH, Compact

Quad-Polarization Quad HH/HV/VH/VV 20 9 x 9
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 137

RADARSAT-2

Canada

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

RADARSAT-2 is a high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite launched in 2007 on a Soyuz 

launch vehicle by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) for 

Earth observation. RADARSAT-2 operated in tandem 

with RADARSAT-1 (before RADARSAT-1’s retirement). 

RADARSAT-2 was designed and built by MDA. Alenia 

Spazio was subcontracted to build the bus, which was 

designed on PRIMA, a bus originally designed for the Italian 

Space Agency. RADARSAT-2 carries the SAR instrument 

for high-resolution SAR data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

H, horizontal; V, vertical]

Launch date 12/14/2007

Platform owner CSA/MDA

Altitude 798 km

Orbit period 100.7 min

Inclination 98.6°

Crossing time 6:00 DN

Nadir repeat 24 days

Design lifetime 7 years

Status Operational

System website http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/

radarsat2/default.asp

Sensor Information

SAR

GSD (m) 1–100 (selectable)

Swath (km) 18–530 (selectable)

Data portal http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/

radarsat2/order-contact.asp

Artistic rendering of RADARSAT-2 in orbit [Source: MDA/NASA, 

used with permission].

Montreal, Quebec, captured by RADARSAT-2 [Source: MDA, 

used with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

138 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

RADARSAT-2—Continued

Canada

Civil/Government

Operational

SAR

The SAR instrument aboard RADARSAT-2 is very similar in design to the SAR instrument aboard RADARSAT-1. The 

new SAR instrument has improved resolution. The SAR instrument operates in the C-band at 5.405 GHz (λ = 5.5 cm). The 

angle of incidence is 10–60 degrees. SAR data are available through MDA.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width 

(km)

Approximate resolution 

(m)

Fine Single HH, HV, VH, VV 50 8

Dual HH/HH, HH/HV, HV/HH, HV/HV

Wide Fine Single HH, HV, VH, VV 150 8

Dual HH/HH, HH/HV, HV/HH, HV/HV

Standard Single HH, HV, VH, VV 100 25

Dual HH/HH, HH/HV, HV/HH, HV/HV

Wide Single HH, HV, VH, VV 150 25

Dual HH/HH, HH/HV, HV/HH, HV/HV

ScanSAR Narrow Single HH, HV, VH, VV 300 50

Dual HH/HH, HH/HV, HV/HH, HV/HV

ScanSAR Wide Single HH, HV, VH, VV 500 100

Dual HH/HH, HH/HV, HV/HH, HV/HV

Ocean Surveillance Single

Dual

HH, HV, VH, VV 530 Variable

HH/HH, HH/HV, HV/HH, HV/HV

Fine Quad-Pol Polarimetric Alt. HV / HV 25

50

12

Wide Fine Quad-Pol Polarimetric Alt. HV / HV 12

Standard Quad-Pol Polarimetric Alt. HV / HV 25

50

25

Wide Standard

Quad-Pol Polarimetric Alt. HV / HV 25

Extended High Single HH 75 25

Extended Low Single HH 170 60

Spotlight Single HH, HV, VH, VV 18 1

Ultra-Fine Single HH, HV, VH, VV 20 3

Wide Ultra-Fine Single HH, HV, VH, VV 50 3

Extra-Fine Single HH, HV, VH, VV 125 5

Multi-Look Fine Single HH, HV, VH, VV 50 8

Wide Multi-Look Fine Single HH, HV, VH, VV 90 8

Ship Detection Single HH, HV, VH, VV 450 Variable
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 139

RASAT

Turkey

Civil/Government 

Operational

Platform Overview

RASAT is a medium-resolution, panchromatic, and 

multispectral satellite launched in 2011 by TUBITAK-UZAY 

on a Dnepr-1 launch vehicle from the Yasny/Dombarovsky 

launch site for Earth observation. RASAT was designed and 

built in Turkey by Space Technologies Research InstituteTubitak and is of BILSAT heritage (Turkey’s previous 

satellite). RASAT carries the Optical Imaging System (OIS) 

sensor for medium-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

AN, ascending node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meter; Pan, panchromatic]

Launch date 8/17/2011

Design lifetime 3 years

Platform owner TUBITAK-UZAY

Altitude 700 km

Orbit period 98 min

Inclination 98.25°

Crossing time 10:30 AN

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website http://uzay.tubitak.gov.tr/en/uydu-uzay/

rasat

Artistic rendering 

of RASAT in orbit 

[Source: TUBITAKUZAY, used with 

permission].

Sensor Information

OIS

GSD (m) 7.5, 15

Swath (km) 30

Data portal —

RASAT image of the Colima volcano in Mexico 

[Source: TUBITAK-UZAY, used with permission].

OIS

The OIS aboard RASAT is a pushbroom-style imager. 

OIS was designed and developed by Satrec Initiative (SI) in 

Korea and is a variant of their Earth Observing System-A 

(EOS-A).

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.420 0.575 0.730 7.5

Blue 0.420 0.485 0.550 15

Green 0.550 0.590 0.630 15

Red 0.580 0.655 0.730 15
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

140 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

ResourceSat-2 and -2A

India

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

ResourceSat-2 is a medium- and high-resolution satellite launched in 2011 on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle 

(PSLV)-C16 launch vehicle. ResourceSat-2 carries the same 

sensing elements as ResourceSat-1 (launched in October 

2003) and provides continuity for the mission. The objectives 

of the ResourceSat mission are to provide remote sensing 

data services to global users, focusing on data for integrated 

land and water resources management.

ResourceSat-2A is identical to ResourceSat-2 and 

was launched in 2016 on the PSLV-C36 launch vehicle for 

continuity of data and improved temporal resolution. The 

two satellites (ResourceSat-2 and ResourceSat-2A) operating 

in tandem improved the revisit capability from 5 days to 2-3 

days.

The ResourceSat-2 platform is of IRS-1C/1D-P3 heritage and was built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). ResourceSat-2 and 2A carry the Advanced Wide 

Field Sensor (AWiFS), the Linear Imaging Self Scanning 

Sensor–III (LISS-3), and the Linear Imaging Self Scanning 

Sensor–IV (LISS-4) for medium-resolution imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

NIR, near infrared; SWIR, short wave infrared]

RS-2 RS-2A

Launch date 4/20/2011 12/7/2016

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude 817 km

Orbit period 101.35 min

Inclination 98.78°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 24 days

Design lifetime 5 years

Status Operational

System website https://www.isac.gov.in/earth-observation/

html/resourcesat-2.jsp

ResourceSat-2 satellite in clean room [Source: ISRO, used with 

permission].

ResourceSat-2 

LISS-3 imagery over 

Chesapeake Bay and 

Delaware Bay, 

United States 

[Source: USGS].

Sensor Information

AWiFS LISS-3 LISS-4

GSD (m) 56 23.5 5.8

Swath (km) 740 141 70

Data Portal https://nrsc.gov.in/
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 141

ResourceSat-2 and -2A—Continued

India

Civil/Government

Operational

AWiFS

The AWiFS aboard ResourceSat-2 and 2A is identical to the AWiFS sensor on ResourceSat-1. The data quantization for 

all sensors is now 10 bits. AWiFS data are available for purchase.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 56

Red 0.620 0.650 0.680 56

NIR 0.770 0.815 0.860 56

SWIR 1 1.550 1.625 1.700 56

LISS-3

The LISS-3 aboard ResourceSat-2 and 2A is identical to the LISS-3 sensor on ResourceSat-1. The data quantization for 

all sensors is now 10 bits. LISS-3 data are available for purchase.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 23.5

Red 0.620 0.650 0.680 23.5

NIR 0.770 0.815 0.860 23.5

SWIR 1 1.550 1.625 1.700 23.5

LISS-4

The LISS-4 aboard ResourceSat-2 and 2A is based on the LISS-4 sensor on ResourceSat-1 and has an increased swath 

of 70 km. The data quantization for all sensors is now 10 bits. LISS-4 data are available for purchase.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 5.8

Red 0.620 0.650 0.680 5.8

NIR 0.770 0.815 0.860 5.8
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

142 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

ResourceSat-3 and -3A

India

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

ResourceSat-3 and -3A are medium-resolution wide swath satellites to be launched in 2019 and 2020, respectively, for 

advanced land and water resources management by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). ResourceSat-3 and 

-3A will provide continuity of the ResourceSat program and enhanced capabilities. ResourceSat-3 and -3A will carry the 

Advanced Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor-III (ALISS) and Atmospheric Correction (ATCOR) sensor for medium- and 

high-resolution land imaging, respectively.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near infrared; SWIR, shortwave infrared]

RS-3 RS-3A

Launch date Sept. 2019 (Planned) Aug. 2020 (Planned)

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude 795 km

Orbit period 101 min

Inclination 97.91°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 11 days

Design lifetime 5 years

Status Development

System website —

Sensor Information

ALISS ATCOR

GSD (m) 20 240

Swath (km) 925

Data portal —

ALISS

The ALISS-3 sensor is an improvement upon the LISS-3 sensor flown on previous ResourceSat missions. ALISS-3 has 

visible and near infrared (VNIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands with improved 20-m ground sample distance and a 

925-km swath. ALISS data will be commercially available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.400 0.700 1.000 20

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 20

Red 0.620 0.650 0.680 20

NIR 0.770 0.815 0.860 20

SWIR1 1.550 1.650 1.750 20

ATCOR

The ATCOR sensor is a new hyperspectral sensing element that will operate in VNIR bands. ATCOR is intended to 

improve the quality of the data products. ATCOR data will be commercially available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Hyper 0.400 0.700 1.000 240
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 143

ResourceSat-3S and -3SA

India

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

ResourceSat-3S and -3SA are high-resolution, multispectral, and panchromatic Earth imaging satellites to be launched in 

2019 and 2020 by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for generating improved digital elevation models (DEMs). 

ResourceSat-3S and -3SA will be used for stenographic mapping with improved resolution. ResourceSat-3S and -3SA will 

carry the Advanced Panchromatic (APAN) and Linear Self-Scanner (LISS-V) sensors for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending node; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; —, no data; NIR, near-infrared]

RS-3S RS-3SA

Launch date May 2019 (Planned) Jan. 2020 (Planned)

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude 633 km

Orbit period 97.5 min

Inclination 98.89°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 48 days

Design lifetime 5 years

Status Development

System website —

Sensor Information

LISS-V APAN

GSD (m) 2.5 1.5

Swath (km) 60

Data portal —

LISS-V

The LISS-V sensor is an improvement on the LISS-4 sensor flown on previous ResourceSat missions. LISS-V has 

visible and near infrared (VNIR) bands with improved 2.5 m ground sample distance.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 2.5

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 2.5

Red 0.620 0.650 0.680 2.5

NIR 0.770 0.815 0.860 2.5

APAN

The APAN sensor is a new high-resolution, panchromatic imager for sharpening. Both sensors have a narrowed swath 

of 60 km.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.675 0.900 1.5
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

144 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

RISAT-1, -1A, and -1B

India

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

Platform Overview

The Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT)-1 is a multiresolution Synthetic Aperture 

Radar (SAR) satellite launched in 2012 by the Indian Space Research Organization 

(ISRO) on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Satish Dhawan Space Center 

for Earth resources monitoring. RISAT-1A and RISAT-1B are copies of RISAT-1 and 

are planned for launch in 2018/2019 and 2021, respectively. The RISAT-1 satellites 

carry the RISAT-SAR instrument for measuring radar data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample 

distance; m, meter; H, horizontal; V, vertical]

RISAT-1 RISAT-1A RISAT-1B

Launch date 4/26/2012 2020 (Planned) March 2021 (Planned)

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude 536 km

Orbit period 95.49 min

Inclination 97.55°

Crossing time 6:00 AN

Nadir repeat 25 days

Status Operational Development

System website https://www.isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/risat-1

Sensor Information

RISAT-SAR

GSD (m) 0.67–55 (selectable)

Swath (km) 10–223 (selectable)

Data portal http://uops.nrsc.gov.in:33333/

ImgeosUops/FinalImgeosUops/

FinalImgeosUops.html

RISAT-1 main structure [Source: 

ISRO, used with permission].

RISAT-1 image of the Chambal river, Madhya Pradesh [Source: ISRO, used 

with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 145

RISAT-1, -1A, and -1B—Continued

India

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

RISAT-SAR

The RISAT-SAR instrument was built by ISRO’s Space Applications Center and uses dual receivers. RISAT-SAR 

operates in the C-band at 5.35 GHz (λ = 5.60 cm). The angle of incidence is 12–55 degrees.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width (km) Approximate resolution (m)

High Resolution Spotlight (HRS)

Single HH, HV, VH, VV

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH 10 x 10 1 x 0.67

Circular CP/VH

Fine Resolution Stripmap-1 (FRS-1)

Single HH, HV, VH, VV

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH 25 3 x 2

Circular CP/VH

Fine Resolution Stripmamp-2 (FRS-2)

Circular CP/VH

25

3 x 4

Quad HH/HV/VV/VH 9 x 4

Medium Resolution ScanSAR (MRS)

Single HH, HV, VH, VV

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH 115 21–23 x 8

Circular CP/VH

Coarse Resolution ScanSAR (CRS)

Single HH, HV, VH, VV

Dual HH/HV, VV/VH 223 41–55 x 8

Circular CP/VH
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

146 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

RISAT-2 and -2A

India

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

Platform Overview

RISAT-2 is a multiresolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite 

launched in 2009 by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on a 

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) launch vehicle from Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) for Earth resources monitoring. RISAT-2 was 

designed and built by Israel Aerospace Industries, Ltd., (IAI/MBT) and 

uses the OptSat-2000 platform of TecSAR bus heritage. ISRO purchased 

RISAT-2 when RISAT-1 was delayed. A larger, more capable model of 

the satellite, RISAT-2A, is planned to be launched in 2020. RISAT-2B 

is planned for launch in May 2019 on the PSLV C-46 mission. RISAT-2 

carries the X-SAR instrument for measuring SAR data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; —, no data; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; H, horizontal; V, vertical]

RISAT-2 RISAT-2A

Launch date 4/20/2009 2020 (Planned)

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner ISRO

Altitude 548 km

Orbit period 95.61 min

Inclination 41.21°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat 14 days

Status Operational Development

System website https://nrsc.gov.in/RISAT-2

Sensor Information

X-SAR

GSD (m) 1–8 (selectable)

Swath (km) 10–120 (selectable)

Data portal —

Artistic rendering of RISAT-2 [Source: ISRO, 

used with permission].

RISAT-2 image of Anakapalle, Vishakapatnam 

district, Andhra Pradesh [Source: ISRO, used 

with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 147

RISAT-2 and -2A—Continued

India

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

X-SAR

The X-band SAR (X-SAR) instrument was built by Elta Systems, Ltd., of Ashdod, Israel, and has heritage of the 

X-SAR instrument flown on TecSAR. X-SAR operates in the X-band at 9.59 GHz (λ = 3.13 cm). The angle of incidence is 

20–45 degrees.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width (km) Approximate resolution (m)

Spotlight mode Single HH, HV, VH, VV — <1

Super Stripmap (mosaic) mode Single HH, HV, VH, VV — 1.8

Stripmap mode Single HH, HV, VH, VV — 3

Wide coverage ScanSAR mode Single HH, HV, VH, VV — 8
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

148 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

SABIA-Mar 1 and 2

Argentina, Brazil

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

SABIA-Mar 1 is a low-resolution multispectral satellite to be launched in 2022 to study the sea and coasts. 

The Argentinian National Space Activities Commission 

(CONAE) partnered with the Brazilian space agency (AEB) 

to form a constellation of two ocean satellites. CONAE is 

fully responsible for SABIA-Mar 1 and AEB is responsible 

for SABIA-Mar 2. Investigación Aplicada (INVAP) is the 

primary contractor for the development of SABIA-Mar 1. 

SABIA-Mar 1 will carry two primary sensors, visible-near 

infraredInfrard (VIS-NIR) and near infrared-shortwave 

infrared (NIR-SWIR), for ocean color monitoring. The mission also includes a high-sensitivity panchromatic camera 

(H-PAN) and a thermal infrared(TIR) sensor for measuring 

ocean temperature as a secondary payload.

[Abbreviations in tables: —, no data; km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter]

SABIA-Mar 1 SABIA-Mar 2

Launch date 2022 (Planned) —

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner CONAE, AEB

Altitude 702 km

Orbit period 98.81 min

Inclination 98.19°

Crossing time 22:20 AN

Nadir repeat 4 days

Status Development Planned

System website http://www.conae.gov.ar/index.php/espanol/

introduccion-sace

Sensor Information

VIS-NIR NIR-SWIR TIR

GSD (m) 200, 800 400, 800 400

Swath (km) — — —

Data portal —

VIS-NIR

The VIS-NIR sensor will have 11 bands between 

412 nm and 865 nm (visible to near-infrared) to study ocean 

color and coasts. The sensor will provide 800-m ground 

sample distance (GSD) data over oceans and 200-m GSD 

data over coasts. Detailed spectral information is not yet 

available.

NIR-SWIR

The NIR-SWIR sensor will have six bands between 

750 nm and 1600 nm (near-infrared to shortwave infrared) to 

study ocean color and coasts. The sensor will provide 800-m 

GSD data over oceans and 400-m GSD data over coasts. 

Detailed spectral information is not yet available.

TIR

The TIR sensor will have two bands centered at 11 μm 

and 12 μm (thermal infrared) for measuring sea surface temperature. The sensor will provide 400-m GSD data globally. 

Detailed spectral information is not yet available.

H-PAN

No information is available currently.
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 149

SARAL

India, France

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

SARAL is a radar altimeter satellite launched in 2013 

by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on a 

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)—C20 launch vehicle 

from Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India, for 

oceanographic studies. SARAL is complementary to Jason-2 

and will improve sea surface height mapping. The SARAL 

mission is a collaboration with French National Center 

for Space Studies (CNES). ISRO developed a new bus for 

SARAL, referred to as Indian MiniSatellite-2 (IMS-2), and 

a Payload Instrument Module (PIM). SARAL carries the 

Altimeter in Ka band (AltiKa) instrument, which measures 

radar data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; —, no data]

Launch date 2/25/2013

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner ISRO/CNES

Altitude 800 km

Orbit period 100.6 min

Inclination 98.54°

Crossing time 6:00 AN

Nadir repeat 35 days

Status Operational

System website https://www.isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/saral

https://altika-saral.cnes.fr/en/

Artistic rendering of SARAL in orbit [Source: CNES/ill/SATTLER 

Oliver, 2010, used with permission].

3-Dimensional model of the AltiKa instrument 

aboard SARAL [Source: CNES, 2016, used with 

permission].

Sensor Information

AltiKa

GSD (m) —

Swath (km) —

Data portal —

AltiKa

The AltiKa was designed and built by CNES and is of Poseidon (flown on the Jason missions) heritage. The altimeter 

operates in the Ka-band at 35.75 GHz (λ = 0.84 cm). The AltiKa instrument also includes a bi-frequency radiometer that 

operates at 23.8 GHz (λ = 1.26 cm) and 37 GHz (λ = 0.81 cm).
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

150 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Sentinel-1

European Space Agency

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

Platform Overview

Sentinel-1 is European Space Agency’s (ESA) all-weather, day-and-night 

radar imaging mission for land and ocean services. Sentinel-1A was launched in 

2014, followed by Sentinel-1B in 2016. Two more Sentinel-1 satellites (C and 

D) are planned to be launched in 2021 and 2023, respectively, to extend the Sentinel-1 mission at least until the end of 2030. The Sentinel-1 satellites are built 

by Thales Alenia Space Italia (TAS-I) and are based on the Piattaforma Italiana 

Multi Applicativa (PRIMA) bus of TAS-I, of COSMO-SkyMed and RADARSAT-2 heritage, with a mission-specific payload module. The satellites carry the 

C-Synthetic Aperture Radar (C-SAR) sensor for medium-resolution SAR data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; AN, ascending node; GSD, ground 

sample distance; m, meter; H, horizontal; V, vertical]

Sentinel-1A Sentinel-1B Sentinel-1C Sentinel-1D

Launch date 4/3/2014 4/25/2016 2021 (Planned) 2023 (Planned)

Platform owner ESA

Altitude 786 km

Orbit period 100.7 min

Inclination 98.5°

Crossing time 10:30 AN

Nadir repeat 10 days

Design lifetime 7.25 years

Status Operational Development

System website https://scihub.copernicus.eu/

Sensor Information

Mode C-SAR

GSD (m) 5–40

Swath (km) 80–400

Data portal https://scihub.copernicus.eu/

Artistic rendering of Sentinel-1 in orbit 

[Source: ESA].

The Alps between Munich and Bozen captured by Sentinel-1A [Source: DLR].

C-SAR

The C-SAR is designed and developed by EADS Astrium GmbH of Germany. The center frequency of the C-band is 

5.405 GHz (λ = 5.5 cm). The angle of incidence is 20–46 degrees. C-SAR data are freely available.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width (km) Approximate resolution (m)

Stripmap Mode (SM) Dual HH/HV, VV/VH 80 5 x 5

Interferometric Wide Swath Mode (IW) Dual HH/HV, VV/VH 250 5 x 20

Extra Wide Swath Mode (EW) Dual HH/HV, VV/VH 400 20 x 40

Wave Mode (WV) Single HH, VV 20 x 20 5 x 5
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 151

Sentinel-2

European Space Agency

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

Platform Overview

Sentinel-2 is a high-resolution, multispectral Earth 

imaging mission by European Space Agency (ESA) with 

high revisit capability. Sentinel-2A was launched in 2015 and 

followed by Sentinel-2B in 2017. Sentinel-2C and Sentinel2D are under construction and will be ready for launch in 

2020/2021.

The Sentinel-2 satellites are built by Airbus Defense and 

Space and use the AstroBus-L bus, a standard modular European Cooperation for Space Standards (ECSS) compatible 

satellite platform. The Sentinel-2 satellites carry the Multispectral Imager (MSI) for medium-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meter; Pan, panchromatic, CA, coastal aerosol; NIR, near infrared; SWIR, short wave infrared]

Sentinel-2A Sentinel-2B Sentinel-2C Sentinel-2D

Launch date 6/23/2015 3/7/2017 2020 (planned) 2021 (planned)

Platform owner ESA

Altitude 786 km

Orbit period 100.7 min

Inclination 98.5°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 10 days

Design lifetime 7.25 years

Status Operational Development

System website https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/web/sentinel/missions/sentinel-2

Artistic rendering of Sentinel-2A satellite in orbit [Source: ESA].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

152 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Sentinel-2—Continued

European Space Agency

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

Sensor Information

MSI

GSD (m) 10, 20, 60

Swath (km) 290

Data portal https://scihub.copernicus.eu/

Satellite image of Amsterdam, Netherlands, captured by 

Sentinel-2B [Source: ESA].

MSI

The MSI aboard Sentinel-2 is a new pushbroom sensor with visible and near infrared and shortwave infrared bands. 

Onboard calibration bands in combination with ground targets ensure high-quality radiometric performance.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

CA 0.433 0.443 0.453 60

Blue 0.458 0.490 0.523 10

Green 0.542 0.560 0.578 10

Red 0.650 0.665 0.681 10

Red Edge 0.698 0.705 0.713 20

NIR 0.733 0.740 0.748 20

NIR 0.773 0.783 0.793 20

NIR 0.785 0.842 0.900 10

NIR 0.855 0.865 0.875 20

NIR 0.935 0.945 0.955 60

Cirrus 1.365 1.380 1.395 60

SWIR 1 1.565 1.610 1.655 20

SWIR 2 2.100 2.190 2.280 20
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 153

Sentinel-3

European Space Agency

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

Platform Overview

Sentinel-3 is a multi-instrument mission to measure seasurface topography, sea- and land-surface temperature, ocean 

color, and land color with high accuracy and reliability. 

Sentinel-3A was launched in 2016 followed by Sentinel-3B 

in 2018. Sentinel-3C and Sentinel-3D are planned to follow, 

extending the mission at least until 2030.

The Sentinel-3 satellites are built by Thales Alenia 

Space-France (TAS-F) and are based on a new generation of 

avionics for the TAS-F low earth orbit (LEO) platform. Sentinel-3 carries the Ocean and Land Color Instrument (OLCI), 

Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR), 

and SAR Radar Altimeter (SRAL) sensing elements. Data 

are available to the public for free.

[Abbreviations in tables: ESA, European Space Agency; km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending node; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; CA, coastal aerosol; NIR, near infrared; SWIR, short wave infrared; MWIR, 

mid wave infrared; TIR, thermal infrared]

Sentinel-3A Sentinel-3B Sentinel-3C Sentinel-3D

Launch date 4/16/2016 4/25/2018 2020 (planned) 2022 (planned)

Platform owner ESA

Altitude 814 km

Orbit period 100 min

Inclination 98.65°

Crossing time 10:00 DN

Nadir repeat 27 days

Design lifetime 7.5 years

Status Operational Development

System website https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/web/sentinel/missions/sentinel-3

Artistic rendering of Sentinel-3 in orbit [Source: ESA].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

154 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Sentinel-3—Continued

European Space Agency

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

Sensor Information

OLCI SLSTR SRAL

GSD (m) 300 500/1,000 300

Swath (km) 1,270 1,675 1,270

Data portal https://scihub.copernicus.eu/

Europe captured by Sentinel-3B [Source: ESA].

OLCI

The OLCI is of the European Space Agency’s mediumspectral resolution, imaging spectrometer of MERIS heritage 

(flown on Envisat). The field of view is tilted toward the west 

12 degrees from the sun to minimize the sunglint effect over 

the ocean and increase the effective swath.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

CA 0.395 0.400 0.405 300

CA 0.408 0.413 0.418 300

CA 0.438 0.443 0.448 300

Blue 0.485 0.490 0.495 300

Blue 0.505 0.510 0.515 300

Green 0.555 0.560 0.565 300

Red 0.615 0.620 0.625 300

Red 0.660 0.665 0.670 300

Red 0.670 0.674 0.678 300

Red 0.678 0.681 0.685 300

NIR 0.703 0.708 0.713 300

NIR 0.750 0.754 0.758 300

NIR 0.760 0.761 0.763 300

NIR 0.763 0.764 0.766 300

NIR 0.766 0.768 0.769 300

NIR 0.771 0.779 0.786 300

NIR 0.855 0.865 0.875 300

NIR 0.880 0.885 0.890 300

NIR 0.895 0.900 0.905 300

NIR 0.930 0.940 0.950 300

NIR 1.000 1.020 1.040 300
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 155

Sentinel-3—Continued

European Space Agency

Civil/Government

Operational/Future

SLSTR

The SLSTR is an upgraded and advanced version of the Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) instrument flown on Envisat, offering a wider swath, more bands, and greater resolution. The wider swath allows for shorter revisit 

time. Two dedicated channels were added for fire and high temperature events monitoring at 1 km resolution, and two SWIR 

bands were added to improve cloud and aerosol detection.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Green 0.545 0.555 0.565 500

Red 0.649 0.659 0.669 500

NIR 0.855 0.865 0.875 500

Cirrus 1.368 1.375 1.383 500

SWIR 1 1.580 1.610 1.640 500

SWIR 2 2.225 2.250 2.275 500

MWIR 3.550 3.740 3.930 1,000

TIR 10.400 10.850 11.300 1,000

TIR 11.500 12.000 12.500 1,000

SRAL

The SAR Radar Altimeter (SRAL) instrument has strong heritage of the instrument techniques implemented on the 

Poseidon-3 altimeter on Jason-2, SAR Interferometer Radar Altimeter (SIRAL) on CryoSat-2, and Altimeter in Ka-band 

(AltiKa) on the SRAL mission of ISRO and CNES. SRAL is the core instrument of the topographic payload.
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

156 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Sentinel-6

European Space Agency

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

Sentinel-6, also known as Jason Continuity of Service 

(Jason-CS), is a radar altimeter satellite of the European 

Space Agency (ESA), intended to ensure continuity with 

Jason-3. Sentinel-6 is a partnership between the ESA, 

European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), French National Center 

for Space Studies (CNES), European Commission (EC), 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 

and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA). Sentinel-6A is planned to be launched in 2020 with 

Sentinel-6B to be launched before the end of life of Sentinel6A to ensure continuity of data. The two Sentinel-6 satellites 

are based on the CryoSat-2 heritage platform and are being 

built by Airbus Defense and Space in Germany. Sentinel-6 

will carry the Poseidon-4 Synthetic Aperture Radar Altimeter 

(POS4) sensor for SAR data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter]

Sentinel-6A Sentinel-6B

Launch date 2020 (Planned) 2025 (Planned)

Platform owner ESA

Altitude 1366 km

Orbit period 112 min

Inclination 66.03°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat 9.9 days

Design lifetime —

Status Development Planned

System website https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/web/sentinel/

missions/sentinel-6

Sensor Information

POS4

GSD (m) —

Swath (km) —

Data portal —

Artistic rendering of Sentinel-6 in orbit [Source: ESA].

POS4

POS4 is the principle payload instrument aboard Sentinel-6. The new instrument is a collaboration between agencies, 

each contributing different elements. The instrument measures surface height and wind speed. The system can operate in 

conventional pulse-width limited (LRM) and SAR processing simultaneously. POS4 operates in the Ku-band at 13.575 GHz 

(λ = 2.2 cm) and the C-band at 5.3 GHz (λ = 5.7 cm). The angle of incidence and the beam modes are unavailable. The data 

will be freely available.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width (km) Approximate resolution (m)

— — — — —
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 157

SEOSat

Spain

Civil/Government 

Future

Platform Overview

The Spanish System for Earth Observation Satellite 

(SEOSat), also known as Ingenio (Spanish for “ingenuity”), is 

a high-resolution multispectral satellite to be launched in 2019 

by the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) for 

Earth observation. This is a flagship mission of the Spanish 

Space Strategic Plan 2007–11. The spacecraft development has 

been led by Airbus Defense and Space. SEOSat uses the proven 

AstroSat-250 bus. SEOSat carries the Primary Payload (PP) 

instrument for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 2019 (Planned)

Design lifetime 7 years

Platform owner INTA

Altitude 670 km

Orbit period 98.15 min

Inclination 98°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 38 days

Status Development

System website —

Sensor Information

PP

GSD (m) 2.5, 10

Swath (km) 55

Data portal —

PP

The PP instrument is a new design being developed by Sener Ingeniería y Sistemas S.A. of Spain.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.675 0.900 2.5

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 10

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 10

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 10

NIR 0.760 0.830 0.900 10
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

158 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

SkySat-1 to -13

United States

Commercial

Operational

Platform Overview

SkySat-1 through -13 are high-resolution, multispectral 

microsatellites for high revisit, high-resolution imaging. 

SkySat-1 and -2 were built by Skybox Imaging. Skybox 

Imaging (Skybox), acquired by Google, was changed to 

“Terra Bella” in 2016 before being acquired by Planet in 

2017. Sinclair Interplanetary (SI) was contracted to develop 

the ST-16-star trackers for the satellites. SkySat-3 through 

-13 were built by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) and were 

very similar in design to SkySat-1 and -2. The new SkySats 

feature better reaction wheels and a propulsion system, 

increasing agility, as well as smaller pixels. Each SkySat is 

equipped with a Ritchey-Chretien Cassegrain telescope. The 

camera provides a ground sample distance of 2 m in VNIR 

and 0.9 m in panchromatic bands. Data can be ordered from 

Planet.

SkySat-14 and -15 launched in 2018 and SkySat-16 to 

-21 are in development with options to add SkySat-22 to -27 

to the constellation.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending node; AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample 

distance; m, meter; Pan, panchromatic, NIR, near infrared]

SS-1 SS-2 SS-3 SS-4 to -7 SS-8 to -13

Launch date 11/21/2013 7/8/2014 6/22/2016 9/16/2016 10/31/2017

Launch vehicle Dnepr Soyuz-2.1b/Fregat PSLV-C34 Vega Minotaur-C

Platform owner Planet

Altitude 587 km 500 km 695 km 500 km

Orbit period 96.41 min 94.6 min 98.6 min 94.6 min

Inclination 97.98° 95.3° 98.3° 95.3°

Crossing time 10:30 DN 13:30 AN

Design lifetime 6 years

Status Operational

System website https://www.planet.com/products/hi-res-monitoring/

SkySat-1 and -2 deployed configurations [Source: Planet Labs Inc., used 

with permission].

SkySat-3 through -13 

deployed configurations [Source: Planet 

Labs Inc., used with 

permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 159

SkySat-1 to -13—Continued

United States

Commercial

Operational

Sensor Information

SS-MSI

GSD (m) 0.9/2

Swath (km) 8

Data portal https://www.planet.com/products/

planet-imagery/

Skysat imagery of Rome, Italy [Source: Planet Labs Inc., used with permission].

SS-MSI

The SkySat-Multispectral Imager is an optical payload of the SkySat satellites based on a Ritchey-Chretien Cassegrain 

telescope design with a focal length of 3.6 m. The camera can deliver full motion video with frame rates as high as 50 Hz. 

SkySat data are available from Planet. 

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.675 0.900 0.9

Blue 0.450 0.483 0.515 2

Green 0.515 0.555 0.595 2

Red 0.605 0.650 0.695 2

NIR 0.740 0.820 0.900 2
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

160 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

SMAP

United States

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

The Solid Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP) satellite 

is a low-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite 

launched in 2015 by the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA) on a Delta-II launch vehicle from 

Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for global soil 

moisture mapping. SMAP was designed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and has heritage of previous radar 

missions developed at JPL. SMAP carries a SAR sensor for 

measuring low-resolution radar data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter]

Launch date 1/31/2015

Design lifetime 3 years

Platform owner NASA

Altitude 685 km

Orbit period 98.5 min

Inclination 98°

Crossing time 18:00 AN

Nadir repeat 8 days

Status Operational

System website https://smap.jpl.nasa.gov/

Sensor Information

SMAP

GSD (m) 3,000

Swath (km) 1,000

Data portal https://www.asf.alaska.edu/smap/

data-imagery/

SMAP

The SMAP instrument is a SAR developed at JPL. 

Astro Aerospace (a business unit of Northrop Grumman) was 

contracted to design the reflector boom assembly (RBA). The 

RBA rotates and scans the Earth conically. SMAP’s SAR 

instrument operates in the L-band at 1,217–1,298 MHz 

(λ = 24.6—23.1 cm). The radiometer on board operates in 

the L-band at 1,400–1,427 MHz (λ = 21.4–21.0 cm). The 

angle of incidence is 40 degrees.

Artistic rendering of SMAP in orbit [Source: NASA].

SMAP soil moisture map of southeastern United States [Source: 

NASA].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 161

SMOS

European Space Agency

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite 

is a low-resolution satellite launched in 2009 on a Rockot 

launch vehicle for making global observations of soil moisture over land and salinity over oceans. SMOS is an Earth 

Explorer Opportunity mission.

SMOS utilizes the Proteus bus developed by National 

Center for Space Studies (CNES) and Alcatel Alenia Space 

and carries the Microwave Imaging Radiometer using Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS) sensor, which captures 30 km GSD 

imagery freely available to the public.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter]

Launch date 11/2/2009

Platform owner ESA

Altitude 755 km

Orbit period 100 min

Inclination 98.44°

Crossing time 6:00 AN

Nadir repeat 23 days

Design lifetime 3 years

Status Operational

System website https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/

Observing_the_Earth/SMOS

Sensor Information

MIRAS

GSD (m) 30,000

Swath (km) 900

Data portal https://smos-ds-02.eo.esa.int/oads/access/

Artistic rendering of SMOS in orbit [Source: ESA].

Soil moisture in the Netherlands measured by 

SMOS [Source: ESA].

MIRAS

The MIRAS instrument was developed by European Aeronautics Defense and Space. MIRAS operates at frequencies 

around 1.4 GHz (L-band) to capture images of emitted microwave radiation from Earth. 

MIRAS works by collecting the data via an 8-m antenna-receiver unit with 69 antenna elements called LICEFs. Each 

LICEF antenna weighs 190 g and is 165 mm in diameter and 19 mm high.
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

162 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

SPOT-6 and -7

France, Azerbaijan

Commercial

Operational

Platform Overview

SPOT-6 and -7 are high-resolution multispectral satellites 

launched in 2012 and 2014, respectively, by the EADS Astrium 

on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from SDSC-SHAR 

for Earth resources monitoring. These missions continue the 

SPOT series that has been in continual operation since the 

launch of SPOT-1 in 1986. These satellites are privately owned 

by EADS Astrium. Azerbaijan acquired SPOT-7 and renamed it 

Azersky. The SPOT-6 and -7 satellites were designed and built 

by Airbus Defense and Space and use the AstroSat-250 bus. 

With a highly agile system, the satellites can provide visible 

and near infrared (VNIR) imagery at global scale and on a targeted basis. SPOT-6 and SPOT-7 are placed 180 degrees apart 

and operate with the high-resolution Pleaides-HR satellites in 

orbit. SPOT-6 and -7 carry the New AstroSat Optical Modular 

Instrument (NAOMI) sensor for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; NIR, near-infrared]

SPOT 6 SPOT 7

Launch date 9/9/2012 6/30/2014

Design lifetime 10 years

Platform owner EADS Astrium/Azercosmos

Altitude 694 km

Orbit period 98.6 min

Inclination 98.2°

Crossing time 10:00 DN

Nadir repeat 26 days

Status Operational

System website https://www.intelligence-airbusds.com/

en/191-spot-technical-information

Sensor Information

NAOMI

GSD (m) 1.5, 6

Swath (km) 60

Data portal https://www.intelligence-airbusds.com/en/

147-spot-6-7-satellite-imagery

SPOT-7 in orbit [Source: Airbus DS, used with permission].

SPOT-7 satellite image of Sydney, Australia [Source: 

Airbus DS, used with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 163

SPOT-6 and -7—Continued

France, Azerbaijan

Commercial

Operational

NAOMI

The NAOMI sensor is a proven design from Airbus used on Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) satellites. The 

sensor aboard SPOT-6 operates with two cameras to provide greater swath width. Data are available to customers through the 

Airbus’s commercial portal.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.598 0.745 1.5

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 6

Green 0.530 0.560 0.590 6

Red 0.625 0.660 0.695 6

NIR 0.760 0.825 0.890 6
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

164 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

SWOT

United States, France

Civil/Government 

Future

Platform Overview

The Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission 

is a wide-swath altimeter satellite to be launched in 2021 by 

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 

and French National Center for Space Studies (CNES) on 

a Falcon 9 launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base 

in California for monitoring local sea level changes along 

coasts. The SWOT mission is also supported by the Canadian 

Space Agency (CSA) and United Kingdom Space Agency 

(UKSA). The spacecraft bus for SWOT was provided by 

CNES and has heritage of technologies developed through 

the CNES Incitation à l’utilisation Scientifique des Images 

Spot (ISIS) program. SWOT carries the Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn), Jason-class Altimeter, and a Microwave 

Radiometer for medium-resolution imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

—, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; H, horizontal; 

V, vertical]

Launch date April 2021 (Planned)

Design lifetime —

Platform owner NASA/CNES

Altitude 890 km

Orbit period 102.78 min

Inclination 77.6°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat 21 days

Status Development

System website https://swot.jpl.nasa.gov/

Artistic rendering of SWOT in orbit [Source: 

CNES/DUCROS David, 2015, used with permission].

Sensor Information

KaRIn

GSD (m) 5—1,000 (selectable)

Swath (km) 120 (combined)

Data portal —

Illustration of the KaRIn instrument operation [Source: 

NASA].

KaRIn

KaRIn was developed at JPL and was based on heritage 

of ERS-1, TOPEX/Poseidon, ERS-2, Jason-1, Envisat, and 

Jason-2. KaRIn operates in the Ka-band at 35.75 GHz 

(λ = 0.84 cm).

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width (km) Approximate resolution (m)

Left swath Single HH 50 5 x 10–70

Right swath Single VV 50 5 x 10–70
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 165

TanDEM-L

Germany

Civil/Government

Future

Platform Overview

TanDEM-L is a multiresolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite to 

be launched by German Aerospace Center 

(DLR) for creating detailed digital elevation 

models (DEMs). TanDEM-L is a followon mission to the TanDEM-X mission 

launched in 2010. TanDEM-L will carry an 

L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (L-SAR) 

instrument for collecting SAR data.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; 

°, degree; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meter]

Launch date 2022 (Planned)

Design lifetime 10 years

Platform owner DLR

Altitude 745 km

Orbit period 99.72 min

Inclination 98.4°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat 16 days

Status Planned

System website https://www.dlr.de/hr/

en/desktopdefault.aspx/

tabid-8113/

Artistic rendering of TanDEM-L in orbit [Source: DLR].

Sensor Information

L-SAR

GSD (m) 1

Swath (km) 350

Data portal —

L-SAR

The L-SAR instrument in the L-band has a center frequency of 1.5 GHz (λ = 20.0 cm). The angle of incidence is 

26.3–47.0 degrees. Details of beam modes currently (2018) are not available.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width (km) Approximate resolution (m)

— — — — —
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

166 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Terra

United States

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Terra is a moderate-resolution multispectral satellite 

for Earth resource monitoring, launched in 1999 by National 

Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on an Atlas 

Centaur II expendable launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air 

Force Base in California. Formerly named Earth Observing 

System (EOS) AM-1 signifying its morning crossing time, 

Terra is the flagship mission of the EOS.

The Terra satellite was built by NASA on the spacecraft bus designed by Lockheed Martin Missiles and 

Space (LMMS) with five instruments on board: Advanced 

Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System 

(CERES), Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR), 

Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) 

and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer 

(MODIS). ASTER and MODIS are the land imaging instruments included here.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; 

°, degree; DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample 

distance; m, meter; CA, coastal aerosol; NIR, near infrared; 

SWIR, short wave infrared; MWIR, mid wave infrared; 

WV, water vapor; TIR, thermal infrared]

Launch date 12/18/1999

Platform owner NASA

Altitude 705 km

Orbit period 98.8 min

Inclination 98.3°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 16 days

Design lifetime 6 years

Status Operational

System website https://terra.nasa.gov/

Artistic rendering of Terra in orbit [Source: NASA].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 167

Terra—Continued

United States

Civil/Government

Operational

Sensor Information

ASTER MODIS

GSD (m) 15/30/90 250/500/1,000

Swath (km) 60 2,230

Data portal https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/

https://glovis.usgs.gov/app

ASTER image of the Andes Mountains [Source: NASA].

ASTER

The ASTER sensor is a cooperative effort between NASA and Japan’s Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI). 

ASTER on Terra captures images in 14 spectral bands from visible to thermal infrared and provides stereo capability for 

digital elevation modeling. The swath width is 60 km with a GSD of 15 m in visible and near infrared (VNIR), 30 m in shortwave infrared (SWIR), and 90 m in thermal infrared (TIR). Beginning in 2008, ASTER SWIR imagery began to degrade and 

in January of 2009 the mission managers declared that the SWIR detectors were no longer functioning and no further actions 

were being taken. Data are available for free download to all the customers.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 15

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 15

NIR 0.760 0.810 0.860 15

SWIR 1 1.600 1.650 1.700 30

SWIR 2 2.145 2.165 2.185 30

SWIR 2 2.185 2.205 2.225 30

SWIR 2 2.235 2.260 2.285 30

SWIR 2 2.295 2.330 2.365 30

SWIR 2 2.360 2.395 2.430 30

TIR 8.125 8.300 8.475 90

TIR 8.475 8.650 8.825 90

TIR 8.925 9.100 9.275 90

TIR 10.250 10.600 10.950 90

TIR 10.950 11.300 11.650 90
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

168 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Terra—Continued

United States

Civil/Government

Operational

MODIS

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is a proven design built by NASA GSFC heritage of High 

Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS), Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Nimbus-7 Coastal Zone Color Scanner 

(CZCS). MODIS, onboard both the Terra and Aqua satellites, is a 36-band spectroradiometer measuring visible, shortwave, 

and thermal infrared radiation. This sensor provides a swath width of 2,300 km with a ground sample distance of 250 m 

(2 bands), 500 m (5 bands), and 1,000 m (29 bands). Imagery is collected in VNIR through TIR and data are available with no 

cost or restrictions.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

CA 0.405 0.413 0.420 1,000

CA 0.438 0.443 0.448 1,000

Blue 0.459 0.469 0.479 500

Blue 0.483 0.488 0.493 1,000

Blue 0.526 0.531 0.536 1,000

Green 0.545 0.555 0.565 500

Green 0.546 0.551 0.556 1,000

Red 0.620 0.645 0.670 250

Red 0.662 0.667 0.672 1,000

Red 0.673 0.678 0.683 1,000

NIR 0.743 0.748 0.753 1,000

NIR 0.841 0.859 0.876 250

NIR 0.862 0.870 0.877 1,000

NIR 0.890 0.905 0.920 1,000

NIR 0.915 0.940 0.965 1,000

NIR 0.931 0.936 0.941 1,000

NIR 1.230 1.240 1.250 500

Cirrus 1.360 1.375 1.390 1,000

SWIR 1 1.628 1.640 1.652 500

SWIR 2 2.105 2.130 2.155 500

MWIR 3.660 3.750 3.840 1,000

MWIR 3.929 3.959 3.989 1,000

MWIR 4.020 4.050 4.080 1,000

MWIR 4.433 4.466 4.498 1,000

MWIR 4.482 4.516 4.549 1,000

WV-1 6.535 6.715 6.895 1,000

WV-2 7.175 7.325 7.475 1,000

TIR 8.400 8.550 8.700 1,000

TIR 9.580 9.730 9.880 1,000

TIR 10.780 11.030 11.280 1,000

TIR 13.185 13.335 13.485 1,000

TIR 13.485 13.635 13.785 1,000

TIR 13.785 13.935 14.085 1,000

TIR 14.085 14.235 14.385 1,000
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 169

TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X

Germany

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

TerraSAR-X (TSX) is a multiresolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite launched in 2007 by the German 

Aerospace Center (DLR) on a Dnepr-1 launch vehicle from 

the Russian Cosmodrome, Baikonur, Kazakhstan, for Earth 

resources monitoring. TSX was built by Airbus Defense 

and Space GmbH and uses the proven AstroSat-1000 bus. 

TanDEM-X (TDX) is a follow-on mission to TerraSAR-X 

launched in 2010 to improve digital elevation models 

(DEMs). The two satellites carry identical instruments. TSX 

and TDX carry the TSX-SAR and TDX-SAR instruments, 

respectively, for collecting SAR data. Tandem-X DEM 90-m 

data are available free of charge for scientific purposes.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; H, horizontal; V, vertical]

TerraSAR-X TanDEM-X

Launch date 6/15/2007 6/21/2010

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner DLR

Altitude 514 km

Orbit period 94.85 min

Inclination 97.44°

Crossing time 18:00 AN

Nadir repeat 11 days

Status Operational

System website https://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.

aspx/tabid-10377/

Sensor Information

TSX-SAR

GSD (m) 1–16 (selectable)

Swath (km) 5–1500 (selectable)

Data portal https://terrasar-x-archive.

terrasar.com/

Artistic rendering of TerraSAR-X in orbit [Source: DLR].

TerraSAR-X elevation data of Sabah, Malaysia [Source: Airbus 

DS, used with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

170 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X—

Continued

Germany

Civil/Government

Operational

TSX-SAR

The TSX-SAR and TDX-SAR instruments are active phased array X-band antenna systems operating at 9.65 GHz 

(λ = 3.11 cm). The angle of incidence is 15–60 degrees.

Beam mode Polarization Nominal swath width (km) Approximate resolution (m)

Experimental Spotlight Singe HH, HV, VH, VV 5 x 10 2 x 1

Dual —

Spotlight HS Singe HH, HV, VH, VV 10 x 10 2 x 1

Dual —

Spotlight SL Singe HH, HV, VH, VV 5 x 10 1 x 1

Dual —

Stripmap Singe HH, HV, VH, VV 1,500 x 30 3 x 3

Dual —

ScanSAR Singe HH, HV, VH, VV 1,500 x 100 16 x 16

Dual —
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 171

THEOS

Thailand

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

Thailand Earth Observing System (THEOS) is a mediumresolution, panchromatic, and multispectral satellite launched in 

2008 on a Dnepr launch vehicle from Yasny/Dombarovsky launch 

center by Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development 

Agency (GISTDA) for Earth observation. THEOS was designed 

and built by European Aeronautics Defense and Space (EADS) 

Astrium SAS of France and utilizes the AstroSat-500 platform. 

The satellite is of FormoSat-2 heritage and carries the panchromatic (PAN) and multispectral (MS) sensors for high-resolution 

land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending 

node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; —, no data; Pan, panchromatic; 

NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 10/1/2008

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner GISTDA

Altitude 822 km

Orbit period 101.4 min

Inclination 98.7°

Crossing time 10:00 DN

Nadir repeat 26 days

Status Operational

System website https://www.gistda.or.th/main/en/node/569

Artistic rendering of THEOS in orbit [Source: GISTDA, 

used with permission].

Sensor Information

PAN MS

GSD (m) 2 15

Swath (km) 22 90

Data portal —

Sample THEOS images [Source: GISTDA, used with 

permission].

PAN

The PAN aboard THEOS is a pushbroom-style CCD imager.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.675 0.900 2

MS

The MS aboard THEOS is a pushbroom-style CCD imager with four visible and near infrared bands.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 15

Green 0.530 0.565 0.600 15

Red 0.620 0.655 0.690 15

NIR 0.770 0.835 0.900 15
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

172 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

TripleSat-1 to -3 / SSTL-S1

United Kingdom, China

Commercial

Operational/Future

Platform Overview

TripleSat-1, -2, and -3 are three identical high-resolution, multispectral satellites launched in 2015 on the 

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle for disaster monitoring. The 

TripleSat satellites form the third generation of the Disaster 

Monitoring Constellation (DMC). The Twenty First Century 

Aerospace Technology Co. (21AT) has leased 100 percent of 

the imaging capacity of the TripleSat constellation.

The TripleSats were designed and built by Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) and were based on the SSTL-300 

S1 bus, building on the heritage of the SSTL-300 platform 

and avionics of NigeriaSat-2. The Very High-Resolution 

Imager-100 aboard TripleSat captures 3.2 m ground sample 

distance (GSD) visible and near infrared (VNIR) imagery 

and 0.8 m GSD panchromatic imagery available for purchase 

from DMCii.

TripleSat is also known as DMC-3 or Beijing-2. A 

fourth identical satellite, SSTL-S1, launched in 2018. The 

imaging capacity of SSTL-S1 is also being leased to 21AT.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near infrared]

TripleSat-1 to 3 SSTL-S1-4

Launch date 7/10/2015 9/16/2018

Platform owner DMCii

Altitude 651 km

Orbit period 97.7 min

Inclination 98.1°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 1 day

Design lifetime 7 years

Status Operational

System website https://www.intelligence-airbusds.com/

en/8079-triplesat

Sir Martin Sweeting with DMC3/TripleSat Satellites, 2015 

[Source: SSTL, used with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 173

TripleSat-1 to -3 / 

SSTL-S1—Continued

United Kingdom, China

Commercial

Operational/Future

Sensor Information

VHRI-100

GSD (m) 0.8/3.2

Swath (km) 23.8

Data portal http://www.21at.com.cn/en/

Imagery/OnlinePortal/

A 1-meter resolution pan-sharpened image is an extract showing Sydney Airport acquired by DMC3/TripleSat satellite, 2015 

[Source: SSTL, used with permission].

VHRI-100

The VHRI is a modified Newtonian telescope. VHRI-100 is the next generation of the VHRI imager flown on 

NigeriaSat-2. Data are available commercially through 21AT.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.725 1.000 0.8

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 3.2

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 3.2

Red 0.600 0.640 0.680 3.2

NIR 0.730 1.015 1.300 3.2
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

174 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

VENμS

France, Israel

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

The Vegetation and Environment monitoring on a New 

MicroSatellite mission (VENμS) is a medium-resolution 

superspectral satellite launched in 2017 on a Vega launch 

vehicle from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French 

Guiana, for Earth resources monitoring. The spacecraft was 

designed and developed by the French National Center for 

Space Studies (CNES) and Israel Aerospace Industries, Ltd., 

(IAI). The satellite will first operate as a science mission 

(VM1, VENμS Mission 1) aimed at understanding vegetation and water dynamics. The science mission is designed 

to operate for 2 years at an altitude of 720 km, and then the 

satellite will be lowered for 1 year to 410 km and operate 

as a technology mission (VM2, VENμS Mission 2). The 

technology mission aims to improve understanding of orbital 

dynamics and related goals and after an expected time of 6 

months will continue imagery acquisition related to science 

mission goals (VM3, VENμS Mission 3). VENμS carries 

the VENμS Superspectral Camera (VSSC) for medium-resolution land imaging. 

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, 

descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; —, no data; CA, 

coastal aerosol; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 8/2/2017

Design lifetime 4.5 years

Platform owner CNES, IAI

Altitude 720/410 km

Orbit period 99.19 min

Inclination 98.28°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 2 days

Status Operational

System website https://venus.cnes.fr/en/home-41

Sensor Information

VSSC

GSD (m) 5.3/ 3.0

Swath (km) 27.56

Data portal —

Artistic rendering of VENμS in orbit [Source: IDÉ/SARIAN Robin, 

2015, used with permission].

Archipelago of Jardines de la Reina in the Caribbean Sea in 

Cuba seen by the satellite Venμs [Source: CNES, used with 

permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 175

VENμS—Continued

France, Israel

Civil/Government

Operational

VSSC

The VSSC was built by Elbit Systems Electro-Optics of Rehovot, Israel (EL-OP), under contract with CNES.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

CA 0.400 0.420 0.440 5.3

Blue 0.423 0.443 0.463 5.3

Blue 0.470 0.490 0.510 5.3

Green 0.535 0.555 0.575 5.3

Red 0.600 0.620 0.640 5.3

Red 0.652 0.667 0.682 5.3

Red Edge 0.690 0.702 0.714 5.3

NIR 0.734 0.742 0.750 5.3

NIR 0.774 0.782 0.790 5.3

NIR 0.845 0.865 0.885 5.3

NIR 0.900 0.910 0.920 5.3
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

176 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Suomi NPP, NOAA-20, JPSS-2 to -4 United States

Civil/Government

Operational/ Future

Platform Overview

The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) 

is a low-resolution satellite launched in 2011 on a Delta-II 

rocket to serve as a gap filler between the National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Polar Operational 

Environmental Satellites (POES) satellites and the new 

NOAA Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) satellites and to 

provide continuity to the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration’s (NASA’s) Earth Observing System (EOS) 

mission observations.

Nearly identical to Suomi NPP, NOAA-20 is the second 

satellite in the JPSS mission series. NOAA-20, designated 

JPSS-1 prior to launch, was launched in 2017 by NOAA on 

a Delta-II rocket for Earth resources monitoring. Suomi NPP 

and NOAA-20 were built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. for NOAA and use the BCP-2000 bus like the 

KEPLER and Quickbird satellites. JPSS-2, -3, and -4 will feature similar instruments and are scheduled to launch in 2021, 

2026, and 2031, respectively. These satellites carry the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument for 

land imaging as well as several atmospheric measurement instruments.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending node; AN, ascending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

Pan DNB, panchromatic day night band; CA, coastal aerosol; NIR, near infrared, SWIR, short wave infrared, MWIR, mid wave infrared, TIR, thermal 

infrared]

Suomi NPP NOAA-20 JPSS-2 JPSS-3 JPSS-4

Launch date 10/28/2011 11/18/2017 2021 (planned) 2026 (planned) 2031 (planned)

Design lifetime 7 years

Platform owner NOAA, NASA

Altitude 824 km

Orbit period 101 min

Inclination 98.74°

Crossing time 10:30 DN 13:30 AN

Nadir repeat 16 days 20 days

Status Operational Development

System website http://www.jpss.noaa.gov/

Sensor Information

VIIRS

GSD (m) 375, 750

Swath (km) 3,000

Data Portal https://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/view/globaldata.html

Artistic rendering of NOAA-20 satellite in orbit [Source: NOAA].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 177

Suomi NPP, NOAA-20, JPSS-2 to -4—

Continued

United States

Civil/Government

Operational/ Future

VIIRS

The VIIRS is a proven design from Raytheon. It combines technology developed in the MODIS and SeaWiFS 

sensors. The ground sample distance, swath width, and 

operating model remain the same as the previous version of 

this sensor. Data are available in two sets of records called 

environmental data records (ERDs) produced by NOAA, and 

Earth System Data Records (ESDRs) produced by NASA. 

VIIRS also includes a panchromatic Day/Night Band (DNB) 

that is capable of detailed night imaging. This DNB improves 

upon the heritage of similar bands aboard the Defense 

Meteorological Support Program (DMSP) satellites. VIIRS 

data are freely available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan DNB 0.500 0.700 0.900 750

CA 0.402 0.412 0.422 750

CA 0.436 0.445 0.454 750

Blue 0.478 0.488 0.498 750

Green 0.530 0.555 0.580 750

Red 0.630 0.640 0.650 375

Red 0.662 0.672 0.682 750

NIR 0.739 0.746 0.754 750

NIR 0.846 0.865 0.885 375

NIR 0.846 0.865 0.885 750

NIR 1.230 1.240 1.250 750

Cirrus 1.371 1.378 1.386 750

SWIR 1 1.580 1.610 1.640 375

SWIR 1 1.580 1.610 1.640 750

SWIR 2 2.225 2.250 2.275 750

MWIR 3.550 3.740 3.930 750

MWIR 3.610 3.700 3.790 375

MWIR 3.973 4.050 4.128 750

TIR 8.400 8.550 8.700 750

TIR 10.263 10.763 11.263 750

TIR 10.500 11.450 12.400 375

TIR 11.538 12.013 12.488 750

NOAA-20 VIIRS image showing one of the largest wildfires in 

California history [Source: NOAA].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

178 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

Vivid-i 1 to 5

United Kingdom

Commercial

Future

Platform Overview

Vivid-i 1 to 5 are high-resolution multispectral satellites 

planned to be launched in 2019 by Earth-i for commercial Earth 

observation. A prototype technology demonstration satellite, 

VividX2 (also known as Carbonite-2) was launched in January 

2018. The Vivid-i satellites are being built by SSTL and are 

based on the SSTL-X50 platform. The Vivid-i satellites will 

carry the High-Resolution Imager (HRI) for high-resolution 

land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; —, no data]

Launch date 1/12/2018

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner Earth-i

Altitude 500 km

Orbit period 94.36 min

Inclination 97.33°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 1 day

Status Operational

System website http://earthi.space/

Sensor Information

HRI

GSD (m) 0.6

Swath (km) 5

Data portal https://earthi.space/image-data/

Artistic rendering of a Vivid-i satellite 

[Source: Earth-i, Ltd., used with permission].

A 1-meter resolution image of Dubai Airport acquired by CARBONITE-2 satellite, 

2018 [Source: SSTL, used with permission].

HRI

The HRI aboard the Vivid-i satellites is expected to be similar to the imager aboard the VividX2 prototype satellites. 

HRI data will be commercially available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 0.6

Green 0.520 0.560 0.600 0.6

Red 0.600 0.640 0.680 0.6
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 179

VNREDSat-1A

Vietnam

Civil/Government

Operational

Platform Overview

The Vietnamese Natural Resources, Environment and 

Disaster Monitoring Satellite-1A (VNREDSat-1A) is a 

high-resolution, multispectral satellite designed for natural resource, environment, and disaster monitoring. It was 

launched on a Vega launch vehicle in 2013.

VNREDSat-1A was developed and built by European 

Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) Astrium 

and is based on the AstroSat-100 bus. It is operated by the 

Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) and is 

the first Earth Observation satellite for Vietnam. The satellite carries the New AstroSat Optical Modular Instrument 

(NAOMI), which provides 2.5 m ground sample distance 

(GSD) panchromatic and 10m GSD multispectral imagery 

available freely to the public.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meter; Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 5/7/2013

Platform owner STI-VAST

Altitude 704 km

Orbit period 98.85 min

Inclination 98.7°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat —

Design lifetime 5 years

Status Operational

System website http://www.sti.vast.ac.vn/en/

Sensor Information

NAOMI

GSD (m) 2.5/10

Swath (km) 17.5

Data portal http://datacube.vn/

Artistic rendering of VNREDSat-1A [Source: Airbus DS, used with 

permission].

VNREDSat-1 imagery [Source: Airbus DS, used with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

180 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

VNREDSat-1A—Continued

Vietnam

Civil/Government

Operational

NAOMI

The NAOMI sensor aboard VNREDSat-1A is based on the instruments of the same name aboard AlSat-2, SSOT, and 

SPOT-6.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.600 0.750 2.5

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 10

Green 0.530 0.565 0.600 10

Red 0.620 0.655 0.690 10

NIR 0.760 0.825 0.890 10
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 181

VRSS-1

Venezuela

Civil/Government 

Operational

Platform Overview

The Venezuelan Remote Sensing Satellite-1 (VRSS-1) 

is a medium-resolution multispectral satellite launched on 

a Long March 2D rocket from Jiquan Launch Area. This is 

the first Earth observing mission for Venezuela, mainly used 

for resource investigation and urban planning. VRSS-1 was 

designed and manufactured by China Academy of Space 

(CAST) for Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities (ABAE) 

based on the CAST 2000 platform. VRSS-1 carries the 

Panchromatic and Multispectral Camera (PMC) and Wideswath Multispectral Camera (WMC) for high- and mediumresolution land imaging, respectively.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

—, no data; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 9/29/2012

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner ABAE

Altitude 640 km

Orbit period 97.5 min

Inclination 98°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 4 days

Status Operational

System website http://www.abae.gob.ve/web/VRSS-1.php

Sensor Information

PMC WMC

GSD (m) 2.5, 10 16

Swath (km) 57 370

Data portal —
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

182 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

VRSS-1—Continued

Venezuela

Civil/Government 

Operational

PMC

The PMC is a set of two imagers with time-delay integration capability (TDI). The combined swath width of both imagers is 57 km.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.675 0.900 2.5

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 10

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 10

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 10

NIR 0.770 0.830 0.890 10

WMC

The WMC is like PMC with two imagers operating with TDI capability.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 16

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 16

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 16

NIR 0.770 0.830 0.890 16
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 183

VRSS-2

Venezuela

Civil/Government 

Operational

Platform Overview

The Venezuelan Remote Sensing Satellite-2 (VRSS-2) 

is a high-resolution multispectral satellite launched in 2017 

on a Long March 2D rocket from Jiquan Launch Area. This 

is the second Earth observing mission for Venezuela, mainly 

used for resource investigation and urban planning. VRSS-2 

was designed and manufactured by China Great Wall 

Industry Corporation (CGWIC) for Bolivarian Agency for 

Space Activities (ABAE) based on the CAST 2000 platform. 

VRSS-2 carries the Panchromatic and Multispectral Camera 

(PMC)-2 and Infrared Camera (IRC) sensors for high- and 

medium-resolution land imaging, respectively.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; —, no data; 

GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; Pan, panchromatic; NIR, near 

infrared; SWIR, shortwave infrared]

Launch date 10/9/2017 

Design lifetime 5 years

Platform owner ABAE

Altitude 645 km

Orbit period 97.62 min

Inclination 98°

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website http://www.abae.gob.ve/web/VRSS-2.php

Sensor Information

PMC-2 IRC

GSD (m) 1, 4 30, 60

Swath (km) 30 30

Data portal —
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

184 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

VRSS-2—Continued

Venezuela

Civil/Government 

Operational

PMC-2

The PMC-2 is a proven design based on PMC from VRSS-1. PMC-2 has an improved GSD of 4 m for visible and near 

infrared and 1 m for panchromatic bands.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.675 0.900 1

Blue 0.450 0.485 0.520 4

Green 0.520 0.555 0.590 4

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 4

NIR 0.770 0.830 0.890 4

IRC

The IRC is a new design with a capability of observing in the SWIR and TIR parts of the spectrum.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

SWIR 1 1.500 1.625 1.750 30

TIR 10.000 11.000 12.000 60
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 185

WorldView Legion

United States

Commercial

Future

Platform Overview

The WorldView Legion constellation of 

high-resolution, panchromatic, and multispectral 

satellites are planned to be launched in 2021 by 

DigitalGlobe for commercial Earth observation. 

The satellites will have a mix of mid-latitude 

and sun-synchronous orbits. In conjunction with 

the WorldView Scout satellites, DigitalGlobe 

will have the ability to image regions of Earth as 

many as 40 times daily. DigitalGlobe announced 

the new six-satellite constellation shortly after 

being acquired by MDA in 2017.

[Abbreviations in tables: —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; 

~, approximately; m, meter; km, kilometer]

Launch date 2021 (Planned)

Design lifetime —

Platform owner DigitalGlobe

Altitude —

Orbit period —

Inclination —

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat —

Status Planned

System website https://www.digitalglobe.com/

Artistic rendering of a WorldView Legion satellite in orbit [Source: MAXAR 

Technologies, 2019, used with permission].

Sensor Information

WVLI

GSD (m) ~0.35–0.50

Swath (km) —

Data portal —

WorldView Legion Imager (WVLI)

The imager aboard the WorldView Legion satellites 

will have a ground sample distance of approximately 0.35 to 

0.50 m. Spectral information details are unavailable at this 

time. Data will be commercially available.
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

186 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

WorldView Scout

United States

Commercial

Future

Platform Overview

The WorldView Scout constellation of high-resolution 

panchromatic and multispectral satellites are planned to be 

launched in 2019 for commercial Earth observation. The 

satellites will have mid-latitude orbits. In conjunction with 

the WorldView Legion satellites, DigitalGlobe will have the 

ability to image regions of Earth as many as 40 times daily. 

DigitalGlobe and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdul Aziz City for 

Science and Technology Space Research Institute (KACST 

SRI) have announced a partnership for building and operating the WorldView Scout constellation.

[Abbreviations in tables: —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meter; ~, approximately; km, kilometer]

Launch date 2019 (Planned)

Design lifetime —

Platform owner DigitalGlobe/KACST SRI

Altitude —

Orbit period —

Inclination —

Crossing time —

Nadir repeat —

Status Development

System website https://www.digitalglobe.com/

Sensor Information

WVSI

GSD (m) ~0.8

Swath (km) —

Data portal —

WorldView Scout Imager

The imager aboard the WorldView Scout satellites will 

have a ground sample distance of approximately 0.8 m. 

Spectral information details are unavailable at this time.
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 187

WorldView-1

United States

Commercial

Operational

Platform Overview

WorldView-1 (WV-1) is a high-resolution panchromatic 

satellite launched in 2007 by DigitalGlobe on a Delta-II 

launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base for commercial Earth resources monitoring. The WV-1 satellite 

was designed and built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies 

Corporation (BATC) in the United States and utilizes the 

BCP-5000 bus. WV-1 carries the WorldView-60 (WV-60) 

camera for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; 

m, meter; Pan, panchromatic]

Launch date 9/18/2007

Design lifetime 7.5 years

Platform owner DigitalGlobe

Altitude 496 km

Orbit period 94.6 min

Inclination 97.2°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website https://www.digitalglobe.com/about/

our-constellation

Sensor Information

WV-60

GSD (m) 0.5

Swath (km) 18

Data portal —

Artistic rendering of WorldView-1 [Source: MAXAR Technologies, 2019, used with permission].

WV-60

The WV-60 aboard WV-1 was designed and developed 

by BATC and is of QuickBird heritage. The camera captures 

high-resolution panchromatic imagery.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.400 0.650 0.900 0.5

WorldView-1 image of Stratolaunch in Mojave, California 

[Source: MAXAR Technologies, 2019, used with permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

188 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

WorldView-2

United States

Commercial

Operational

Platform Overview

WorldView-2(WV-2) is a high-resolution multispectral satellite launched in 2009 by DigitalGlobe on a 

Delta 7920 from Vandenberg Air Force Base for Earth 

resources monitoring. This mission continues the WV 

series that has been in continual operation since the launch 

of WorldView-1 in 2007. The WorldView-2 satellite was 

designed and built by Ball Aerospace for DigitalGlobe and 

uses the BCP-5000 bus. WorldView-2 carries the WorldView-110 camera for high-resolution land imaging.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; 

Pan, panchromatic; CA, coastal aerosol; NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 10/8/2009

Design lifetime 10–12 years

Platform owner DigitalGlobe

Altitude 770 km

Orbit period 100.2 min

Inclination 97.8°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat —

Status Operational

System website https://www.digitalglobe.com/about/

our-constellation

At right: Artistic rendering of 

WorldView-2 [Source: MAXAR Technologies, 2019, used with permission].

Below: WorldView-2 image of Indian 

Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, 

California [Source: MAXAR Technologies, 2019, used with permission].

Sensor Information

WorldView-110

GSD (m) 0.46, 1.85

Swath (km) 16

Data portal https://discover.digitalglobe.

WorldView-110 com/

The WV-110 camera was newly designed and built by ITT Exelis. The new design adds a yellow and red-edge band that 

previous WV satellites did not have. Data are available to customers through DigitalGlobe’s commercial portal.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.625 0.800 0.46

CA 0.400 0.425 0.450 1.85

Blue 0.450 0.480 0.510 1.85

Green 0.510 0.545 0.580 1.85

Yellow 0.585 0.605 0.625 1.85

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 1.85

Red Edge 0.705 0.725 0.745 1.85

NIR 0.770 0.833 0.895 1.85

NIR 0.860 0.950 1.040 1.85
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 189

WorldView-3

United States

Commercial

Operational

Platform Overview

WorldView-3 (WV-3) is a high-resolution multispectral 

satellite launched in 2014 by the DigitalGlobe on an Atlas 

V from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for Earth 

resource monitoring. WV-3 provides significant technical 

improvements to previous WorldView satellites, including 

spectral bands, GSD, and swath.

The WV-3 satellite was designed and built by Lockheed 

Martin for the DigitalGlobe Corporation using the BCP-5000 

bus with the WorldView-3 Imager and the Clouds, Aerosols, 

Vapors, Ice and Snow (CAVIS) sensor. The high-resolution 

WV-3 Imager is the main instrument, with the CAVIS providing additional data on obscurants and other atmospheric 

effects used in data production.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; 

DN, descending node; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; CA, coastal 

aerosol; NIR, near infrared; SWIR, short wave infrared; MWIR, mid wave 

infrared]

Launch date 8/13/2014

Platform owner Digital Globe/MDA

Altitude 620 km

Orbit period 97 min

Inclination 97.9°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat 5 days

Design lifetime 7.25 years

Status Operational

System website http://worldview3.digitalglobe.com/

Sensor Information

CAVIS WV-3 Imager

GSD (m) 30 0.31/1.24/3.7

Swath (km) 13.1

Data portal https://www.digitalglobe.com/products/

collection-request

Artistic rendering of WorldView-3 in orbit [Source: MAXAR Technologies, 2019, used with permission].

WorldView-3 image of Beijing Daxing International Airport, 

Beijing, China [Source: MAXAR Technologies, 2019, used with 

permission].
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

190 2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium

WorldView-3—Continued

United States

Commercial

Operational

CAVIS

The CAVIS instrument on WV-3 provides 12 spectral bands at 30 m ground sample distance (GSD) to improve atmospheric corrections and image production. Data from this sensor are not generally available outside of Digital Globe. 

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

CA 0.405 0.413 0.420 30

CA 0.459 0.484 0.509 30

Green 0.525 0.555 0.585 30

Red 0.620 0.645 0.670 30

NIR 0.845 0.865 0.885 30

NIR 0.897 0.912 0.927 30

NIR 0.930 0.948 0.965 30

NIR 1.220 1.236 1.252 30

Cirrus 1.350 1.380 1.410 30

SWIR 1 1.620 1.650 1.680 30

SWIR 2 2.105 2.175 2.245 30

WV-3 Imager

The Imaging sensor aboard WV-3 was built by ITT Exelis. The WV-3 Imager provides the same eight visible and near 

infrared (VNIR) bands as WV-2 and adds eight shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands. The GSD is improved to 31 cm for panchromatic data, 1.2 m in VNIR, and images at a GSD of 3.7 m in SWIR; however, terms of its licensing as of 2018 require 

Digital Globe to resample the SWIR data to 7.5 m effective GSD. DigitalGlobe is working with the U.S. Government to 

revise this restriction so that SWIR data can be distributed at its 3.7 m native resolution.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.625 0.800 0.31

CA 0.400 0.425 0.450 1.24

Blue 0.450 0.480 0.510 1.24

Green 0.510 0.545 0.580 1.24

Yellow 0.585 0.605 0.625 1.24

Red 0.630 0.660 0.690 1.24

Red Edge 0.705 0.725 0.745 1.24

NIR 0.770 0.833 0.895 1.24

NIR 0.860 0.950 1.040 1.24

NIR 1.195 1.210 1.225 3.7

SWIR 1 1.550 1.570 1.590 3.7

SWIR 1 1.640 1.660 1.680 3.7

SWIR 1 1.710 1.730 1.750 3.7

SWIR 2 2.145 2.165 2.185 3.7

SWIR 2 2.185 2.205 2.225 3.7

SWIR 2 2.235 2.260 2.285 3.7

SWIR 2 2.295 2.330 2.365 3.7
JACIE

Data compiled by the USGS National Land Imaging Program’s Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) project. JACIE is a collaboration 

between U.S. Federal agencies NASA, NGA, NOAA, USDA, and USGS. For more 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

RCA-EO; USGS EROS Center 

47914 252nd St. 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

eccoe@usgs.gov

For Joint Agency Commercial Imagery 

Evaluation (JACIE) sensor performance 

information see: https://www.usgs.gov/

land-resources/eros/calval/jacie

Appendix 3 191

WorldView-4

United States

Commercial

Failed

Platform Overview

WorldView-4 is a high-resolution, panchromatic, and 

multispectral satellite launched in 2016 on an Atlas-V launch 

vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base for commercial Earth 

resources monitoring. After DigitalGlobe’s acquisition of GeoEye Inc. in 2013, the development of GeoEye-2 was accelerated 

and the satellite was renamed WorldView-4. WorldView-4 was 

designed and developed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems in 

the United States and uses the LM-900. WorldView-4 carries 

the SpaceViewTM 110 sensor for high-resolution land imaging. 

The satellite suffered a gyro failure in early January 2019, ending its operations.

[Abbreviations in tables: km, kilometer; min, minute; °, degree; DN, descending 

node; —, no data; GSD, ground sample distance; m, meter; Pan, panchromatic; 

NIR, near infrared]

Launch date 11/11/2016

Design lifetime 7 years

Platform owner DigitalGlobe

Altitude 617 km

Orbit period 97 min

Inclination 97.97°

Crossing time 10:30 DN

Nadir repeat —

Status Retired

System website https://www.digitalglobe.com/about/ourconstellation/

Artistic rendering of 

WorldView-4 

[Source: MAXAR 

Technologies, 2019, 

used with permission].

Sensor Information

SpaceViewTM 110

GSD (m) 0.31, 1.24

Swath (km) 13.1

Data portal https://www.digitalglobe.com/products/

collection-request

WorldView-4 image of Houston, Texas [Source: MAXAR 

Technologies, 2019, used with permission].

SpaceViewTM 110

The SpaceViewTM 110 camera aboard WorldView-4 

was designed and developed by ITT Inc. in the United 

States, which was acquired by Harris Corporation in 2015. 

SpaceViewTM 110 data are commercially available.

Band Lower Center Upper GSD (m)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 10.0 15.0

Microns (μm)

Pan 0.450 0.625 0.800 0.31

Blue 0.450 0.480 0.510 1.24

Green 0.510 0.545 0.580 1.24

Red 0.655 0.673 0.690 1.24

NIR 0.780 0.850 0.920 1.24

For more information about this publication, contact: 

Director, USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center 

47914 252nd Street 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198 

605–594–6151

For additional information, visit: https://eros.usgs.gov

Publishing support provided by the Rolla Publishing Service Center
Christopherson and others—2019 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation— Land Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium—Circular 1455

ISSN 1067-084X (print)

ISSN 2330-5703 (online)

https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1455