“Quick Bird” Sciences “Ikonos” Space Ltd. “Early Bird” “Resource 
“Orb View 3” “EROS” 21” 
partners 
Ball 
Hitachi 
Telespazio 
MDA 
Orbital 
Sciences 
Lockheed Martin 
E-Systems 
Mitsubishi 
Israeli Aircraft 
Ind. 
Core Soft 
ware Techn. 
Ball 
Hitachi 
Telespazio 
MDA 
Boeing 
Farmland 
GDE 
ITD 
Geophys. & 
Env. Res. 
Corp. 
Space Vest 
launch 
1. 1999 
2. 2000 
1999 
1. failed 
2. Sep 1999 
1. Failed 
2. 1999 
to 6. 2003 
failed 
1. 2000 (2) 
2. 2001 (2) 
1. 2000 (2) 
2. 2001 (2) 
3.2002 (2) 
cancelled 
mode 
Pan 
MS 
Pan 
MS 
Pan 
MS 
Pan 
Pan 
MS 
MS 
Pan 
MS 
Pan 
MS 
hyper- 
spectral 
quantization 
11 bit 
11x4 
bit 
8 bit 
8 bit 
11 bit 
11 bit 
10 bit 
8 bit 
8x3 
bit 
12 bit 
11 
bit 
11 bit 
resolution 
0.82 m 
3.28 
m 
1 & 2 
m 
4 m 
0.82 m 
4 m 
1.3 m 
3.2 m 
15 m 
10 
m 
20 
m 
100 
m 
10 m 
channels 
1 
4 
1 
4 
1 
4 
1 
1 
3 
4 
2 
1 
1 
5 
60 
swath 
22 km 
8 km 
11 km 
13.5 km 
6 km 
30 km 
205 km 
112 km 
pointing in track 
±30° 
±50° 
±45° 
±45° 
±30° 
±30° 
- 
2 convergent sensors 
pointing cross 
track 
±30° 
±50° 
±45° 
±45° 
±28° 
±40° 
- 
sensor position 
GPS 
GPS 
GPS 
GPS 
GPS 
GPS 
GPS 
GPS 
sensor attitude 
star trackers 
2 star trackers 
3 star trackers 
- 
1 star tracker 
star trackers 
star trackers 
2 star trackers 
expected 
accuracy with 
GCP’s 
horiz 
vert 
horiz 
vert 
horiz 
vert 
horiz 
vert 
horiz 
vert 
5 m abs. 
1 m rei. 
horiz 
horiz 
vert 
2 m 
2 m 
7.5 m 
3.3 m 
2 m 
3 m 
6 m 
4 m 
6 m 
4 m 
3 m 
5 m 
3 m 
Without GCP’s 
23 m 
17 m 
12 m 
8 m 
12 m 
8 m 
800 m 
150 m 
30 m 
25 m 
Figure 11: Commercial Earth Observation Satellites