After the US government lifted its restriction on high-def imaging through satellites in June, DigitalGlobe is set to launch its WorldView-3 to capture the Earth in high resolution.
The days aren't too far for online users to see our planet like never before. After the US government relaxed its stringent laws on allowing satellites to capture high-resolution images in mid-June, DigitalGlobe is launching its first high-res imaging satellite into space Wednesday, Aug. 13. For better public access, the extra-sharp images of the Earth will capture objects as small as 31cm, which will be shared on popular mapping services of Google and Microsoft, thanks to their partnership with the satellite imagery and data providing company.
DigitalGlobe's WorldView-3 will be the world's first satellite to capture detailed images of our planet Earth. The data will find great use in tracking farms, natural resources and also manholes and mailboxes, BBC reports. Previously, such details were unattainable due to regulatory restrictions on capturing objects smaller than 50cm.
"WorldView-3 will be the first multi-payload, super-spectral, high-resolution commercial satellite sensor operating at an expected altitude of 617 km," DigitalGlobe explained in a press release. "WorldView-3 provides 31 cm panchromatic resolution, 1.24 m multispectral resolution, 3.7 m short wave infrared resolution and 30 m CAVIS resolution. WorldView-3 has an average revisit time of <1 day and is capable of collecting up to 680,000 km2 per day."
Even at an altitude of around 383 miles above Earth, the high-resolution used by the satellite will penetrate through smoke to capture the precise details of the Earth and also identify moisture content and other materials. It will take at least six months before DigitalGlobe publicly starts selling its high-def images.
The WorldView-3 will launch at 2.30 p.m. ET (11:30 AM (PDT) aboard Lockheed Martin's Atlas 5 from Space Launch Complex 3E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The take-off will be live-streamed by United Launch Alliance.
