Following the successful mid-September launch of DigitalGlobe's WorldView-1 remote sensing satellite, the company has released three initial images captured by the advanced onboard sensor system, developed and built by ITT Corporation's Space Systems Division. WorldView-1's first black and white, sub-meter resolution images include shots of Houston, Texas, Yokohama, Japan, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The ITT imaging sensor used on WorldView-1 to capture these photographs has twice the resolution of its predecessor and allows viewers to see things on the ground as small as a half meter (approximately 20 inches) in diameter. The pictures can be viewed on ITT's Web site.
"These first images from WorldView-1 dramatically illustrate the capability of the half-meter imaging sensor developed by ITT," said Frank Koester, vice president and director, commercial and space sciences, ITT Space Systems Division. "We continue to work closely with DigitalGlobe as WorldView-1 becomes fully operational and on delivery next year of an eight band color imaging sensor for WorldView-2."
ITT was selected in September 2003 by DigitalGlobe to build the imaging sensor for the WorldView-1 satellite, which is sponsored by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) to fill imagery and geospatial needs for military, intelligence, foreign policy, homeland security and civil users.
Scheduled for completion in late 2008, WorldView-2 will feature an ITT eight-band multi-spectral system that will deliver life-like true color imagery.
