DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-2 will launch into a polar orbit around the earth, and operate from it's perch 478 miles using an eight-band color spectrum for the finest quality images. A polar orbit is when a satellite travels from north pole to south pole.
Liftoff of a United Launch Alliance Delta 2-7920-10 rocket from Vandenberg, Air Force Base in California is set for this Thursday, October 8 at 2:38 pm EDT (11:38 am local time) -- the beginning of a 14 minute launch window.
The Delta 2 will use nine strap-on solid rocket boosters to assist in the climb to place the WorldView-2 in orbit. Six will ignite at lift-off and later separate 86 seconds into the ascent. Meanwhile, 65 seconds after launch three boosters will ignite after clearing MAX-Q, the period of maximum pressure on the rocket where the speed of the rocket and the earth's atmosphere present the most dynamic pressures on the Delta 2.
WorldView-2 will be launched into a 98.5 degree inclination orbit so that it can photograph over 95% of the earth's surface. These new images will be used during the coming years to assist in improving our maps; from construction layouts to ecological improvement planning; oil and new fuel exploration and will assist in studying recent climate effects on our planet such as the polar ice caps.
The 5,765 pound WorldView-2 satellite will be able to scan about 376,000 square miles as it orbits sections of the earth each day. It will be able to store up to 2,190 GB (giga-bytes) of data, and then relay the stored images down to a ground station at a speed of 800 Mbps (megabytes per second). There are 1,024 MB in one GB.
If you use Google maps or have a GPS in your car or cellular phone, you will see improved details in the land region maps you use to navigate across.
In September 2007, a Delta 2 launched the WorldView-1 from the California launch site.
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