DigitalGlobe announces the successful launch of WorldView-4

DigitalGlobe, Inc. of Westinster, CO announced on November 11 the successful launch of WorldView-4, the company’s newest high-accuracy, high-resolution commercial imaging satellite. DigitalGlobe acquired signals from the satellite indicating its proper position and health 45 minutes after its launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

The Lockheed Martin-built WorldView-4 satellite will more than double DigitalGlobe’s capacity to collect the world’s highest-resolution 30 centimeter commercial satellite imagery and will accelerate the growth of DigitalGlobe’s 80-petabyte, 16-year time-lapse image library. The fifth active satellite in DigitalGlobe’s industry-leading constellation, WorldView-4 will enhance global transparency and security, power location-enabled applications and services, support the response to global humanitarian crises, and much more.

“WorldView-4 dramatically extends DigitalGlobe’s position as the industry leader in earth imagery, and insight into our changing planet,” said Jeffrey Tarr, chief executive officer of DigitalGlobe. “The importance of today’s success to our customers and shareowners is evidenced by the unprecedented pre-launch demand for this new capacity. This expansion of the DigitalGlobe constellation will accelerate our efforts to build out the digital globe and enable our customers to derive new insights and make critical decisions with confidence.”

“Lockheed Martin is proud of today’s successful launch and our longstanding partnership with DigitalGlobe,” said Rick Ambrose, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. “From the world’s first high-resolution commercial imaging satellite, IKONOS, to the state-of-the-art WorldView-4, Lockheed Martin and DigitalGlobe have an unparalleled legacy of innovation in remote sensing.”

The WorldView-4 satellite was built by Lockheed Martin, and its imaging payload was developed by Harris Corp. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch that delivered the satellite to orbit was provided by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services.