GeoEye-2
Encyclopedia
GeoEye-2 is a planned third generation commercial Earth observation satellite
Earth observation satellite
Earth observation satellites are satellites specifically designed to observe Earth from orbit, similar to reconnaissance satellites but intended for non-military uses such as environmental monitoring, meteorology, map making etc....

, due to launch in early 2013. The satellite will have a resolution
Image resolution
Image resolution is an umbrella term that describes the detail an image holds. The term applies to raster digital images, film images, and other types of images. Higher resolution means more image detail....

 of 25 cm, making it the highest resolution commercial Earth observation satellite in orbit, once it has been launched. However, restrictive licensing by the US government makes it likely that only the US government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...

 and some of its allies will have access to imagery at the full design resolution - all other users will have to make do with imagery at the highest resolution that the US government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...

 licenses for other users - 20 inches (50.8 cm). The imaging sensor will be manufactured by ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...

, and the satellite owned by GeoEye
GeoEye
GeoEye Inc. is a commercial satellite imagery company based in Herndon, Virginia that is the world's largest space imaging corporation....

.

When it goes up, GeoEye-2 will join two other satellites, GeoEye-1
GeoEye-1
GeoEye-1 is a high-resolution earth observation satellite owned by GeoEye, which was launched in September 2008.-History:On December 1, 2004, General Dynamics C4 Systems announced it had been awarded a contract worth approximately $209 million to build the OrbView-5 satellite...

 and IKONOS
IKONOS
IKONOS is a commercial earth observation satellite, and was the first to collect publicly available high-resolution imagery at 1- and 4-meter resolution. It offers multispectral and panchromatic imagery. The IKONOS launch was called by John E. Pike “one of the most significant developments in...

, which are already in orbit. Assuming that both these satellite continue to operate, this will give GeoEye three sub-metre satellites in orbit, and the ability to offer its customers daily revisits. This will potentially open up a whole new raft of applications for the company. RapidEye
RapidEye
RapidEye AG is a German geospatial information provider focused on assisting in management decision-making through services based on their own Earth observation imagery. The company owns a five satellite constellation producing 5 meter resolution imagery that was designed and implemented by ...

 already provides this capability on a commercial basis, but its satellites only offer 5 metre resolution.

Primary mirror diameter: 1.1 m

Lockheed Martin, the builder of IKONOS
IKONOS
IKONOS is a commercial earth observation satellite, and was the first to collect publicly available high-resolution imagery at 1- and 4-meter resolution. It offers multispectral and panchromatic imagery. The IKONOS launch was called by John E. Pike “one of the most significant developments in...

, has been selected as the builder of the satellite platform over General Dynamics the builder of GeoEye-1
GeoEye-1
GeoEye-1 is a high-resolution earth observation satellite owned by GeoEye, which was launched in September 2008.-History:On December 1, 2004, General Dynamics C4 Systems announced it had been awarded a contract worth approximately $209 million to build the OrbView-5 satellite...

. General Dynamics lost money on the fixed contract for GeoEye-1 and could not come to terms with GeoEye.

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