WorldView-1 Acquires First Images

[10-16-07 – Satellite Today] DigitalGlobe has revealed the first images from WorldView-1, the company announced Oct. 15. WorldView-1’s images include half-meter shots of Houston, Yokohama, Japan and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, all acquired since the  beginning of October.

The satellite, built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. with the imaging sensor provided by ITT Corp., was launched Sept. 18 and has been undergoing routine calibration and check-out.  Once operational, the spacecraft will be able to collect up to 750,000 square kilometers per day of half-meter imagery.

"The quality and resolution of WorldView-1’s first images is demonstrative of the superior level of imagery and geospatial information we expect to deliver to our customers," Jill Smith, CEO of DigitalGlobe, said in a statement. "Knowing that the satellite continues to undergo final calibration in the coming weeks, we expect the quality of WorldView-1’s imagery to improve even more."