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- When are you launching GeoEye-2? Where?
- Who is building GeoEye-2?
- What is the ground resolution for GeoEye-2?
- What other progress/milestone achievements has GeoEye-2 made?
- What does "power-on" of GeoEye-2 mean?
- What's the next big milestone for GeoEye-2, and when will it be achieved?
- How much capacity will the U.S. government have on GeoEye-2? Will you be able to fulfill commercial customer requests, or is all the capacity being given to the NGA?
- How will GeoEye-2 satisfy all the NGA's stringent requirements under the EnhancedView program?
- How has GeoEye-2's camera improved?
Q. When are you launching GeoEye-2? Where?
A. The company anticipates that GeoEye-2 will be launched in early 2013 and operational in the first half of 2013. In September 2011, Lockheed Martin announced it would launch the satellite on an Atlas 5 rocket from SLC 3 East at Vandenberg Air Force Base near Sunnyvale, Calif.
Q. Who is building GeoEye-2?
A. In October 2010, GeoEye announced it had signed a procurement contract with Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, an operating unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation, to complete the development and construction of the GeoEye-2 satellite and the associated command-and-control system. Prior to entering this procurement contract, GeoEye and Lockheed Martin had been performing long-lead development and procurement activities for the GeoEye-2 satellite under an interim purchase agreement. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Q. What is the ground resolution for GeoEye-2?
A. GeoEye-2 will have optical performance similar to GeoEye-1 but with better resolution. GeoEye-2 will orbit at 681 kilometers, giving us a resolution of 34 centimeters. So, as GeoEye-1 set a new standard in resolution, GeoEye-2 will set yet an even higher standard. GeoEye-2 will also have control movement gyros to allow it to maneuver faster for point target collection.
Q. What other progress/milestone achievements has GeoEye-2 made?
A. ITT Exelis just announced on April 10 that the GeoEye-2 imaging payload, which includes a telescope, sensor subsystem and outer barrel assembly, was shipped to Lockheed Martin’s Sunnyvale facility. Lockheed Martin also announced in April that it has successfully initiated power-on testing for the GeoEye-2 spacecraft bus. All program Critical Design Reviews have been successfully completed, and spacecraft integration and testing have begun. These program milestones continue the team’s on-time and on-budget performance in support of GeoEye’s plan for on-orbit operations in 2013.
Q. What does "power-on" of GeoEye-2 mean?
A. The power-on testing of the GeoEye-2 spacecraft bus demonstrates initial electrical integration, validates the satellite’s interfaces and paves the way for integrated hardware-software testing. The team has successfully installed power subsystem components, harnesses, and tracking, telemetry and control hardware on the satellite structure to support the on-time phased checkout of the integrated design.
Q. What's the next big milestone for GeoEye-2, and when will it be achieved?
A. Now that Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company has successfully completed the GeoEye-2 spacecraft power-on testing and payload integration, they are performing the functional and environmental testing phases of the program. We anticipate completion by the end of September.
Q. How much capacity will the U.S. government have on GeoEye-2? Will you be able to fulfill commercial customer requests, or is all the capacity being given to the NGA?
A. The NGA will have a significant share of the new collection capacity. GeoEye maintains ownership rights to all collected imagery and can resell almost all of the imagery to commercial customers.
Q. How will GeoEye-2 satisfy all the NGA's stringent requirements under the EnhancedView program?
A. On February 9, 2012, GeoEye announced that it has successfully completed the System Critical Design Review, the last of four critical design reviews in its EnhancedView Program. At each of these reviews, technical performance measures (TPMs) are reported to indicate the systems capability to meet requirements. All development TPMs for the EnhancedView program have been satisfied with the GeoEye-2 spacecraft and ground system design. This program includes the development of the GeoEye-2 satellite and an upgraded ground system architecture. Once launched, GeoEye-2 will provide cost-effective, increased coverage and easier access for the U.S. government and its many other customers, which is particularly important during times of global crisis. GeoEye-2 will feature significant improvements over its predecessors, including enhanced tasking, the ability to collect more imagery at a faster rate and a new ITT Exelis camera.
Q. How has GeoEye-2's camera improved?
A. The imaging payload for GeoEye-2 includes a telescope, sensor subsystem and outer barrel assembly. It has the potential to capture panchromatic ground sample distance imagery of the Earth's surface at 0.34-meter, or 13.38-inch, ground resolution from an altitude of 681 km. The GeoEye-2 camera has a longer focal length than GeoEye-1 or IKONOS, which enables better resolution. Significant advancements to the sensor subsystem improve image quality.
› When are you launching GeoEye-2? Where?
› Who is building GeoEye-2?
› What is the ground resolution for GeoEye-2?
› What other progress/milestone achievements has
GeoEye-2 made?
› What does "power-on" of GeoEye-2 mean?
› More FAQs
Learn more about GeoEye-2's imaging, collection and advanced technical specifications
› View fact sheet
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