WorldView-4 Increases European Space Imaging’s Satellite Tasking Capacity

On November 11, 2016, the WorldView-4 satellite was launched into space as part of the DigitalGlobe constellation. It is a state-of-the-art very high resolution earth observation machine, capturing 30 cm imagery from an orbit 617 km away from Earth. European Space Imaging was the first organization in the world able to commercially task WorldView-4, which immediately increased its capacity for collecting the highest resolution satellite imagery available. Combined with the only other 30 cm-capable satellite in orbit, WorldView-3, the fleet is now able to capture over 1.3 million km² of 30 cm imagery daily.

The very high resolution imagery captured by WorldView-4 is uploaded to European Space Imaging’s archive image library, available as a searchable online database. However customers can also request collection of the specific images they need via the service of direct satellite tasking. Flexibility, speed, and personalized customer service characterize the company’s approach to image collection.

From its recently updated ground station in Munich, European Space Imaging staff monitor the near-real-time weather situation while they plan satellite movements, enabling them to gather images with the least cloud cover possible. This allows them to provide customers with the highest quality imagery as soon as possible – ideal for time-sensitive situations such as during an emergency response, or when plotting the optimal maritime navigation route.

“Last-minute tasking allows us to make changes to the collection plan up until the moment of communication with the satellites,” said Adrian Zevenbergen, Managing Director of European Space Imaging. “When you compare this to operations that don’t take the weather into account, we are able to double the collection of good images.”

European Space Imaging has access to the most advanced satellite constellation in orbit and the most sophisticated collection process on the planet, enabling it to make any Earth Observation project a rapid success.