WorldView-4

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American Earth observation satellite

title: "WorldView-4" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["commercial-imaging-satellites-of-the-united-states", "lockheed-martin-satellites-and-probes", "spacecraft-launched-in-2016", "spacecraft-launched-by-atlas-rockets"] description: "American Earth observation satellite" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WorldView-4" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American Earth observation satellite ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox spaceflight"]

FieldValue
nameWorldView-4
names_listGeoEye-2
image_size300px
mission_typeEarth observation
operatorDigitalGlobe
COSPAR_ID2016-067A
SATCAT41848
websitehttps://www.maxar.com/
mission_duration7 years (planned)
(achieved)
spacecraft_busLM-900
manufacturerLockheed Martin Space Systems
launch_mass2485 kg
dimensions7.9 xx
power
launch_date11 November 2016, 18:30:33 UTC
launch_rocketAtlas V 401 (AV-062)
launch_siteVandenberg, SLC-3E
launch_contractorUnited Launch Alliance
entered_service26 November 2016
disposal_typeDeclared unrecoverable
declared7 January 2019
decay_date30 November 2021
orbit_referenceGeocentric orbit
orbit_regimeSun-synchronous orbit
orbit_periapsis609.95 km
orbit_apoapsis613.28 km
orbit_inclination97.98°
orbit_period96.93 minutes
orbit_repeat3 days
apsisgee
telescope_nameGeoEye Imaging System-2
telescope_diameter1.1 m
telescope_wavelengthPanchromatic: 450–800 nm
Multispectral: 450–920 nm
telescope_resolutionPanchromatic: 31 cm
Multispectral: 124 cm
programmeMaxar Fleet
previous_missionWorldView-3
next_missionWorldView Legion
::

| name = WorldView-4 | names_list = GeoEye-2 | image = | image_caption = | image_size = 300px | mission_type = Earth observation | operator = DigitalGlobe | COSPAR_ID = 2016-067A | SATCAT = 41848 | website = https://www.maxar.com/ | mission_duration = 7 years (planned) (achieved) | spacecraft_bus = LM-900 | manufacturer = Lockheed Martin Space Systems | launch_mass = 2485 kg | dimensions = 7.9 xx | power = | launch_date = 11 November 2016, 18:30:33 UTC | launch_rocket = Atlas V 401 (AV-062) | launch_site = Vandenberg, SLC-3E | launch_contractor = United Launch Alliance | entered_service = 26 November 2016 | disposal_type = Declared unrecoverable | declared = 7 January 2019 | deactivated = | last_contact = | decay_date = 30 November 2021 | orbit_reference = Geocentric orbit | orbit_regime = Sun-synchronous orbit | orbit_periapsis = 609.95 km | orbit_apoapsis = 613.28 km | orbit_inclination = 97.98° | orbit_period = 96.93 minutes | orbit_repeat = 3 days | apsis = gee | telescope_name = GeoEye Imaging System-2 | telescope_type = | telescope_diameter = 1.1 m | telescope_focal_length = | telescope_wavelength = Panchromatic: 450–800 nm Multispectral: 450–920 nm | telescope_resolution = Panchromatic: 31 cm Multispectral: 124 cm | programme = Maxar Fleet | previous_mission = WorldView-3 | next_mission = WorldView Legion

WorldView-4, previously known as GeoEye-2, was a third generation commercial Earth observation satellite launched on 11 November 2016, at 18:30:33 UTC. The spacecraft was operated by DigitalGlobe. With a maximum resolution of 31 cm, WorldView-4 provided similar imagery as WorldView-3, the highest resolution commercially available at the time of its launch.

The spacecraft suffered a failure in one of its control moment gyroscopes in January 2019, and operations were unable to be recovered. It reentered over New Zealand on 30 November 2021.

History

Work on GeoEye-2 began in October 2007 when commercial imagery company GeoEye selected ITT Corporation to begin work on long lead-time items for the satellite camera system. In March 2010, an initial contract for construction of the spacecraft was awarded to Lockheed Martin Space Systems, which previously built the Ikonos imaging satellite. At the time, GeoEye-2 was planned for launch in late 2012. The spacecraft's preliminary design review was completed in November 2010, while its critical design review (CDR) was completed in June 2011.

Lockheed Martin issued a contract to ITT Corporation in August 2010 to continue work on the camera system, and the company announced the completion of the system's critical design review on 1 March 2011. The system was delivered to Lockheed Martin in April 2012, and was mated to the satellite bus the following month.

DigitalGlobe agreed to purchase GeoEye in July 2012, and finalized the merger in January 2013. At the time, each company had a satellite being prepared for launch: WorldView-3 and GeoEye-2. Because WorldView-3 offered multiple short-wavelength infrared channels in addition to the standard panchromatic and multiwavelength channels, the company chose to proceed with its launch and to place GeoEye-2 into storage.

In July 2014, DigitalGlobe announced that GeoEye-2 had been renamed to WorldView-4 to better match the company's branding, and that, due to a projected increase in product demand, the spacecraft's launch had been scheduled for mid-2016. The total cost of the spacecraft, including insurance and launch, is estimated at US$835 million.

The first public image from WorldView-4 was taken on 26 November 2016 and released on 2 December 2016.

In January 2019, WorldView-4 was announced to have suffered a failure in one of its control moment gyroscopes, and was considered no longer usable. WorldView-4 was insured against satellite failure, and in spring 2019 the company owning the satellite, Maxar Technologies, which had acquired DigitalGlobe in 2017, announced that they had received the full US$183 million insurance payment.

Launch

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/WorldView-4_launches_on_Atlas_V_rocket_(161111-F-IV217-061).jpg" caption="WorldView-4 launches aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle"] ::

WorldView-4 was launched on 11 November 2016 at 18:30:33 UTC from Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex 3E aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle. The launch vehicle was in the 401 configuration with serial number AV-062, and was provided and administered by United Launch Alliance. This was the same launch vehicle that had been scheduled to launch the InSight Mars lander, which was delayed until 2018. The launch vehicle had been erected at the Vandenberg launch pad on 16 December 2015 for the InSight mission; after the WorldView-4 mission took the place of InSight, the launch vehicle was allowed to remain vertical at the pad protected by its mobile service tower. The WorldView-4 payload was fixed atop the rocket during the second week of September 2016.

Originally scheduled for launch on 29 June 2016, the flight was rescheduled to 15 September 2016 and then to 16 September 2016. During countdown on 16 September 2016, the launch was scrubbed due to a liquid hydrogen leak in the ground support equipment resulting in an ice ball forming on an umbilical cable. The launch was rescheduled for 18 September 2016 to allow for the replacement of a fill-and-drain valve, determined to be the cause of the leak.

The Canyon Fire, a wildfire that burned over 12742 acre on the southern section of Vandenberg, resulted in a further launch delay so that the base could "concentrate resources on the situation at hand". As a result of scheduling availability on the Western Range, the flight was rescheduled for 26 September 2016. Continued efforts in fighting the Canyon Fire caused an indeterminate delay of the launch to no earlier than October 2016. Four additional fires of varying sizes broke out between 22 and 27 September 2016; while all were contained by the end of the 27th, base commander John Moss stated that until all facilities and instrumentation could be surveyed, no preliminary launch date could be determined.

Repairs were made to the base's infrastructure affected by the wildfire, including power and communications, and the launch date was reset to 6 November 2016. The date was later pushed back to 11 November 2016 as ULA worked to fix minor Atlas V booster issues found during preparations.

Instrument

The spacecraft's telescope was called the GeoEye Imaging System-2, also known as SpaceView 110, which was designed and built by ITT Corporation (later ITT Exelis and Harris Corporation). The telescope mirror was 1.1 m in diameter. It provided panchromatic images at a highest resolution of 31 cm/px between 450 and 800 nanometres, and multispectral images at 124 cm/px in blue, green, red and near-infrared channels (450–510 nm, 510–580 nm, 655–690 nm and 780–920 nm, respectively).

References

References

  1. "WorldView 4 (WV 4, GeoEye 2)". Gunter's Space Page.
  2. (November 2015). "WorldView-4". DigitalGlobe.
  3. Henry, Caleb. (2 December 2016). "DigitalGlobe releases first photo from WorldView-4". SpaceNews.
  4. "WorldView-4 - Orbite". Heavens Above.
  5. "GeoEye-2 (WorldView-4) Satellite Sensor (0.34m)". Satellite Imaging Corporation.
  6. (11 June 2008). "Primary Mirror Blank Assembly for GeoEye-2". GIM International.
  7. Warren Ferster. (11 June 2014). "U.S. Government Eases Restrictions on DigitalGlobe". [[SpaceNews]].
  8. [[Jonathan McDowell]]. (1 December 2021). "The Worldview-4 commercial imaging satellite reentered over New Zealand at about 0520 UTC Nov 30. It was launched in 2016 but its imager failed in early 2019.".
  9. (18 October 2007). "GeoEye Initiates Development of its Third Generation Earth-Imaging Satellite". GeoEye.
  10. (31 August 2010). "ITT awarded contract to build the Imaging System for the GeoEye-2 Earth-Imaging Satellite". ITT Corporation.
  11. Ferster, Warren. (11 March 2010). "Lockheed Martin Selected To Build GeoEye-2 Imaging Satellite". SpaceNews.
  12. Censer, Marjorie. (3 May 2010). "GeoEye building satellite, awaits decision on major contract award". The Washington Post.
  13. (1 July 2011). "GeoEye-2 completes design review". Dalje.com.
  14. (5 July 2011). "GeoEye-2's Design Phase Finishes Ahead of Schedule". SpaceNews.
  15. (7 March 2011). "GeoEye-2 Camera Passes Critical Design Review". SpaceNews.
  16. Lockwood, Irene. (10 April 2012). "ITT Exelis delivers imaging system for next-generation, high-resolution GeoEye-2 satellite". ITT Exelis.
  17. Bergin, Chris. (2 May 2012). "Lockheed Martin complete milestones on two upcoming spacecraft". NASASpaceFlight.com.
  18. (23 July 2012). "DigitalGlobe Agrees to Acquire GeoEye for About US$900 Million". Bloomberg.
  19. (31 January 2013). "DigitalGlobe completes GeoEye buy". Denver Business Journal.
  20. Ray, Justin. (4 February 2013). "One commercial Earth-imager deferred in favor of another". Spaceflight Now.
  21. (31 July 2014). "DigitalGlobe Announces Second 30-Centimeter Satellite to Launch in Mid-2016". DigitalGlobe.
  22. Painter, Kristen Leigh. (31 July 2014). "Demand moves DigitalGlobe to speed launch of high-powered satellite". The Denver Post.
  23. Smith, Marcia S.. (23 June 2012). "EnhancedView News Not so Rosy for GeoEye". Space Policy Online.
  24. (7 January 2019). "DigitalGlobe loses WorldView-4 satellite to gyro failure". SpaceNews.
  25. Henry, Caleb. (4 November 2019). "Maxar announces GEO order, property sale and debt refinancing, sizes WorldView Legion at six satellites". SpaceNews.
  26. Ray, Justin. (11 November 2016). "Commercial satellite launched to image the Earth in high-resolution". Spaceflight Now.
  27. Graham, William. (11 November 2016). "Atlas V launches WorldView-4 out of Vandenberg". NASASpaceFlight.com.
  28. Clark, Stephen. (5 March 2016). "Fate of NASA's InSight Mars mission to be decided soon". Spaceflight Now.
  29. Ray, Justin. (14 September 2016). "Idled by Range facility rework for months, Vandenberg ready to launch again Friday". Spaceflight Now.
  30. Graham, William. (18 September 2016). "Atlas V delays WorldView-4 launch from Vandenberg". NASASpaceFlight.com.
  31. Hamm, Keith. (29 September 2016). "Vandenberg Beats Back Four Separate Fires". Santa Barbara Independent.
  32. Richardson, Derek. (18 September 2016). "Nearby wildfire prompts delay in Atlas V launch". Spaceflight Insider.
  33. Scully, Janene. (27 September 2016). "Vandenberg AFB Beefs Up Security In Wake of Fires; Damage Still Unknown". Noozhawk.
  34. Jacobson, Willis. (28 September 2016). "VAFB commander addresses fires at town hall forum". Santa Maria Times.
  35. Ray, Justin. (25 October 2016). "California Atlas 5 launch that was delayed by wildfire finally rescheduled". Spaceflight Now.
  36. (2 November 2016). "Atlas V to Launch WorldView-4". United Launch Alliance.
  37. (17 February 2016). "Satellite: WorldView-4". World Meteorological Organization.
  38. Harwood, William. (11 November 2016). "Atlas 5 launches civilian imaging satellite". CBS News.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

commercial-imaging-satellites-of-the-united-stateslockheed-martin-satellites-and-probesspacecraft-launched-in-2016spacecraft-launched-by-atlas-rockets