Airbus Vision-1 (SSTL S1-4) capturing Manhattan Island in New York City (Photo courtesy of Airbus)
Airbus Vision-1 (SSTL S1-4) capturing Manhattan Island in New York City
Airbus Vision-1 (SSTL S1-4) capturing Manhattan Island in NYC. Airbus is enhancing access to high-resolution data through the provision of Vision-1 imagery, enriching the decision-making resources available to Earth Observation data users. Vision-1 represents Airbus’ inaugural offering in the United Kingdom, capable of providing imagery with a resolution of less than 1 meter, catering to the commercial market’s needs, and delivering Earth observation data across five optical bands. This remarkable level of detail, combined with its agile platform, perfectly complements Airbus’ existing suite of high and very high-resolution missions, including SPOT and Pléiades.
Airbus Vision-1 imagery is sourced from the Surrey Satellite Technology, Ltd. (SSTL) S1-4 mission, which was launched into orbit as part of the PSLV-C42/NovaSAR & S1-4 mission by ISRO’s PSLV on September 16th, 2018. The satellite is currently operating within normal parameters and has a projected operational lifespan of 7 years. Vision-1’s S1-4 Imager resides on a nimble, three-axis stabilized platform, with attitude monitoring and control facilitated by a comprehensive suite of instruments, including star trackers, sun sensors, reaction wheels, torque rods, and magnetometers. Vision-1 shares orbit space with the NovaSAR-1 satellite and can be employed for SAR and optical data fusion applications.
Vision-1 imagery is exceptionally well-suited to a wide range of Earth observation applications, encompassing urban monitoring, mapping, infrastructure management, defense and security, agriculture, education, and research, among others. The sub-1 meter resolution available in the panchromatic band places this imagery squarely in the NIIRS class 5, enabling, for instance, the identification of various types of transport vehicles.