WorldView-4

WorldView-4
Names GeoEye-2

Mission type Earth observation

Spacecraft properties
Bus LM-900 [1]
Manufacturer Lockheed Martin Space Systems[1]
[2]
Launch mass 2,485 kg (5,478 lb)
[3]
Dimensions 7.9 × 5.3 m (26 × 17 ft)

Start of mission
Launch date 11 November 2016, 18:30:33 UTC
Rocket Atlas V 401 (AV-062)
Launch site Vandenberg, SLC-3E
Contractor United Launch Alliance
Entered service 26 November 2016 [4]

End of mission
Disposal Declared unrecoverable
Declared 7 January 2019
Decay date 30 November 2021

Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric orbit[5]
Regime Sun-synchronous orbit[3]
Perigee altitude 609.95 km (379.01 mi)
Apogee altitude 613.28 km (381.07 mi)
Inclination 97.98°
Period 96.93 minutes
Repeat interval 3 days [6]
 Main telescope
Name GeoEye Imaging System-2
[7]
Diameter 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in)
Wavelengths Panchromatic: 450-800 nm
Multispectral: 450-920 nm [3]
Resolution Panchromatic: 31 cm (12 in)
Multispectral: 124 cm (49 in)
Maxar Fleet

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 (12 in), WorldView-4 provided similar imagery as WorldView-3, the
highest resolution commercially available at the time of its launch.[8]

The spacecraft suffered a failure in one of its control moment gyroscopes in January 2019, and operations
were unable to be recovered.[9] It reentered over New Zealand on 30 November 2021.[10]

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.[11][12] 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.[13] At the time, GeoEye-2 was planned for launch in
late 2012.[14] The spacecraft's preliminary design review was completed in November 2010, while its
critical design review (CDR) was completed in June 2011.[15][16]

Lockheed Martin issued a contract to ITT Corporation in August 2010 to continue work on the camera
system,[12] and the company announced the completion of the system's critical design review on 1 March
2011.[17] The system was delivered to Lockheed Martin in April 2012,[18] and was mated to the satellite
bus the following month.[19]

DigitalGlobe agreed to purchase GeoEye in July 2012,[20] and finalized the merger in January 2013.[21] 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.[22]

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.[23][24] The total cost of the spacecraft, including insurance and launch, is
estimated at US$835 million.[25]

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

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.[9] 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.[26]

Launch
WorldView-4 was launched on 11 November 2016 at 18:30:33
UTC from Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex 3E
aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle.[27][28] The launch vehicle
launched 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.[29] The launch
vehicle had been erected at the Vandenberg launch pad on 16
WorldView-4 launches aboard an
December 2015 for the InSight mission; after the WorldView-4
Atlas V launch vehicle.
mission took the place of InSight, the launch vehicle was allowed
to remain vertical at the pad protected by its mobile service
tower.[2] The WorldView-4 payload was fixed atop the rocket
during the second week of September 2016.[2]

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.[30]

The Canyon Fire, a wildfire that burned over 5,157 ha (12,742 acres) on the southern section of
Vandenberg,[31] resulted in a further launch delay so that the base could "concentrate [their] resources on
the situation at hand".[32] As a result of scheduling availability on the Western Range, the flight was
rescheduled for 26 September 2016.[32] 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.[33][34]

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.[35] The date was later pushed back to
11 November 2016 as ULA worked to fix "minor Atlas V booster issues" found during preparations.[36]

Instrument
The spacecraft's telescope was called the GeoEye Imaging System-2,[37] also known as SpaceView
110,[38] which was designed and built by ITT Corporation (later ITT Exelis and Harris Corporation).[18]
The telescope mirror was 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) in diameter.[7] 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).[3]

References
Spaceflight portal
 1. "WorldView 4 (WV 4, GeoEye 2)" (http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/geoeye-2.htm).
Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
2. Ray, Justin (14 September 2016). "Idled by Range facility rework for months, Vandenberg
ready to launch again Friday" (https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/09/14/idled-by-range-facility-
rework-vandenberg-ready-to-launch-again-friday/). Spaceflight Now. Retrieved
18 September 2016.
3. "WorldView-4" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160424030451/https://dg-cms-uploads-produ
ction.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/document/file/196/DG_WorldView4_DS_11-15_Web.pdf)
(PDF). DigitalGlobe. November 2015. Archived from the original (https://dg-cms-uploads-pro
duction.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/document/file/196/DG_WorldView4_DS_11-15_Web.p
df) (PDF) on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
4. Henry, Caleb (2 December 2016). "DigitalGlobe releases first photo from WorldView-4" (htt
p://spacenews.com/digitalglobe-releases-first-photo-from-worldview-4/). SpaceNews.
Retrieved 3 December 2016.
5. "WorldView-4 - Orbite" (http://www.heavens-above.com/orbit.aspx?satid=41848). Heavens
Above. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
6. "GeoEye-2 (WorldView-4) Satellite Sensor (0.34m)" (https://www.satimagingcorp.com/satelli
te-sensors/geoeye-2/). Satellite Imaging Corporation. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
7. "Primary Mirror Blank Assembly for GeoEye-2" (http://www.gim-international.com/content/ne
ws/primary-mirror-blank-assembly-for-geoeye-2). GIM International. 11 June 2008. Retrieved
19 March 2016.
8. Warren Ferster (11 June 2014). "U.S. Government Eases Restrictions on DigitalGlobe" (http
s://spacenews.com/40874us-government-eases-restrictions-on-digitalglobe/). SpaceNews.
Retrieved 3 March 2023.
9. "DigitalGlobe loses WorldView-4 satellite to gyro failure" (https://spacenews.com/digitalglob
e-loses-worldview-4-satellite-to-gyro-failure/). SpaceNews. 7 January 2019. Retrieved
23 February 2019.
10. Jonathan McDowell [@planet4589] (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" (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1465909153
768030209) (Tweet) – via Twitter.
11. "GeoEye Initiates Development of its Third Generation Earth-Imaging Satellite" (http://www.p
rnewswire.com/news-releases/geoeye-initiates-development-of-its-third-generation-earth-im
aging-satellite-58752892.html) (Press release). GeoEye. PRNewswire. 18 October 2007.
Retrieved 2 April 2016.
12. "ITT awarded contract to build the Imaging System for the GeoEye-2 Earth-Imaging
Satellite" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120520130806/http://www.exelisinc.com/news/pres
sreleases/Documents/Archived%20Press%20Releases/2010/news_2010-08-31.pdf) (PDF)
(Press release). ITT Corporation. 31 August 2010. Archived from the original (http://www.exel
isinc.com/news/pressreleases/Documents/Archived%20Press%20Releases/2010/news_20
10-08-31.pdf) (PDF) on 20 May 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
13. Ferster, Warren (11 March 2010). "Lockheed Martin Selected To Build GeoEye-2 Imaging
Satellite" (http://spacenews.com/lockheed-martin-selected-build-geoeye-2-imaging-satellit
e/). SpaceNews. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
14. Censer, Marjorie (3 May 2010). "GeoEye building satellite, awaits decision on major contract
award" (https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/30/AR2010043002
133.html). The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
15. "GeoEye-2 completes design review" (http://arhiva.dalje.com/en-economy/geoeye-2-comple
tes-design-review/368184). Dalje.com. United Press International. 1 July 2011. Retrieved
2 April 2016.
16. "GeoEye-2's Design Phase Finishes Ahead of Schedule" (http://spacenews.com/geoeye-2s-
design-phase-finishes-ahead-schedule/). SpaceNews. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
17. "GeoEye-2 Camera Passes Critical Design Review" (http://spacenews.com/geoeye-2-camer
a-passes-critical-design-review/). SpaceNews. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
18. Lockwood, Irene (10 April 2012). "ITT Exelis delivers imaging system for next-generation,
high-resolution GeoEye-2 satellite" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160529155736/http://ww
w.exelisinc.com/News/PressReleases/Pages/ITT-Exelis-delivers-imaging-system-for-next-g
eneration,-high-resolution.aspx) (Press release). ITT Exelis. Archived from the original (htt
p://www.exelisinc.com/news/pressreleases/Pages/ITT-Exelis-delivers-imaging-system-for-n
ext-generation,-high-resolution.aspx) on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
19. Bergin, Chris (2 May 2012). "Lockheed Martin complete milestones on two upcoming
spacecraft" (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/05/lockheed-martin-milestones-two-spac
ecraft/). NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
20. Tomesco, Frederic; Callan, James (23 July 2012). "DigitalGlobe Agrees to Acquire GeoEye
for About US$900 Million" (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-07-23/digitalglob
e-agrees-to-acquire-geoeye-for-900-million). Bloomberg. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
21. Harden, Mark; Avery, Greg (31 January 2013). "DigitalGlobe completes GeoEye buy" (http://
www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2013/01/31/digitalglobe-completes-geoeye-buy.html).
Denver Business Journal. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
22. Ray, Justin (4 February 2013). "One commercial Earth-imager deferred in favor of another"
(http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1302/04geoeye2/). Spaceflight Now. Retrieved
19 March 2016.
23. "DigitalGlobe Announces Second 30-Centimeter Satellite to Launch in Mid-2016" (https://arc
hive.is/20161020143101/http://investor.digitalglobe.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=70788&p=irol-ne
wsArticle&id=1953904) (Press release). DigitalGlobe. 31 July 2014. Archived from the
original (http://investor.digitalglobe.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=70788&p=irol-newsArticle&id=195
3904) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
24. Painter, Kristen Leigh (31 July 2014). "Demand moves DigitalGlobe to speed launch of high-
powered satellite" (http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_26254127/demand-moves-digita
lglobe-speed-launch-high-powered-satellite). The Denver Post. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
25. Smith, Marcia S. (23 June 2012). "EnhancedView News Not so Rosy for GeoEye" (http://ww
w.spacepolicyonline.com/news/enhancedview-news-not-so-rosy-for-geoeye). Space Policy
Online. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
26. Henry, Caleb (4 November 2019). "Maxar announces GEO order, property sale and debt
refinancing, sizes WorldView Legion at six satellites" (https://spacenews.com/maxar-announ
ces-geo-order-property-sale-and-debt-refinancing-sizes-worldview-legion-at-six-satellites/).
SpaceNews. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
27. Ray, Justin (11 November 2016). "Commercial satellite launched to image the Earth in high-
resolution" (https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/11/11/commercial-satellite-launched-to-image-t
he-earth-in-high-resolution/). Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
28. Graham, William (11 November 2016). "Atlas V launches WorldView-4 out of Vandenberg"
(https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/11/atlas-v-worldview-4-launch-vandenberg/).
NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
29. Clark, Stephen (5 March 2016). "Fate of NASA's InSight Mars mission to be decided soon"
(https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/03/05/fate-of-nasas-insight-mars-mission-to-be-decided-so
on/). Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
30. Graham, William (18 September 2016). "Atlas V delays WorldView-4 launch from
Vandenberg" (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/09/atlas-v-worldview-4-launch-vanden
berg/). NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
31. Hamm, Keith (29 September 2016). "Vandenberg Beats Back Four Separate Fires" (http://w
ww.independent.com/news/2016/sep/29/vandenberg-beats-back-four-separate-fires/). Santa
Barbara Independent. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
32. Richardson, Derek (18 September 2016). "Nearby wildfire prompts delay in Atlas V launch"
(http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/ula/nearby-wildfire-prompts-delay-in-atlas-v
-launch/). Spaceflight Insider. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
33. Scully, Janene (27 September 2016). "Vandenberg AFB Beefs Up Security In Wake of Fires;
Damage Still Unknown" (https://www.noozhawk.com/article/vandenberg_afb_beefs_up_sec
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34. Jacobson, Willis (28 September 2016). "VAFB commander addresses fires at town hall
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29 September 2016.
35. Ray, Justin (25 October 2016). "California Atlas 5 launch that was delayed by wildfire finally
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36. "Atlas V to Launch WorldView-4" (http://www.ulalaunch.com/atlas-v-to-launch-worldview4.a
spx). United Launch Alliance. 2 November 2016. Archived (https://archive.today/201611030
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Meteorological Organization. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
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Retrieved 14 November 2016.

External links
WorldView-4 (http://worldview4.digitalglobe.com/) at DigitalGlobe.com
WorldView-4 (http://lockheedmartin.com/worldview4) at LockheedMartin.com

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