On August 15, Maxar Intelligence, a provider of secure, precise geospatial intelligence, today confirmed that its third and fourth WorldView Legion satellites are performing well after being launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
The satellites are successfully communicating with Maxar’s ground teams. They are now going through the commissioning process, with first images expected in the early fall.
These two spacecrafts were launched into mid-inclination orbit (MIO), greatly expanding the capabilities of Maxar’s industry-leading Earth imaging constellation and enabling dawn-to-dusk collection. With this successful launch, Maxar’s constellation now includes eight satellites on orbit, including four next-generation WorldView Legion satellites. The first two WorldView Legion satellites were launched in May 2024, with first images released by Maxar in July 2024.
“Maxar is on a mission to push the geospatial industry forward through secure solutions that deliver more real-time insights for our government and commercial customers, and this successful launch plays a pivotal role in that journey,” said Maxar Intelligence CEO Dan Smoot. “Having multiple WorldView Legion satellites in MIO dramatically increases our ability to collect high-resolution, 30 cm-class imagery across more times of day and gain more visibility in areas that face frequent weather events like morning fog.”
“The additional capacity will also enable us to meet growing global demand for high-resolution data and further extend our geospatial foundation advantage, collectively fueling our ability to build more advanced products that support our customers’ toughest missions,” Smoot said.
These satellites are part of a first block of six WorldView Legion spacecraft. Maxar expects to launch its fifth and six WorldView Legion satellites in the coming months.
“We are proud to continue partnering with Maxar Intelligence on the WorldView Legion program, which represents a robust and enhanced approach to Earth imaging,” said Maxar Space Systems CEO Chris Johnson. “With four WorldView Legion satellites now launched and performing nominally on our Maxar 500 platform, we look forward to continued collaboration with Maxar Intelligence on this innovative program, now and in the future.”
Source: Maxar
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