Hi-Res Imaging Satellite to Launch After US Relaxes Ban

The US government lifted its restriction on high-definition satellite imagery back in June, and now two months later the company DigitalGlobe is set to launch its WorldView-3 satellite to capture the Earth in highly detailed images.

Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services plans to send off WorldView-3 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 2:30 p.m. ET (11:30 p.m. PDT) on August 13.

The 18-foot-tall, 18-foot-wide satellite, which will capture objects as small as 31 centimeters, will share data with a number of mapping services, including Google and Microsoft, both of which are DigitalGlobe customers.

"Our customers will immediately realise the benefits of this updated regulation, as for the first time, we will be able to make our very best imagery available to the commercial market," the company's chief executive Jeffrey Tarr told BBC News.

DigitalGlobe's WorldView-3 will be the world's first satellite to capture detailed images of our planet. The data will also support the growing needs of a variety of industries including agriculture, oil and gas, and mining. Previously, such details were unattainable due to regulatory restrictions on taking photos of objects smaller than 50 centimeters.

"WorldView-3 will be the first multi-payload, super-spectral, high-resolution commercial satellite sensor operating at an expected altitude of 617 km," DigitalGlobe explained in a press release. "WorldView-3 provides 31 cm panchromatic resolution, 1.24 m multispectral resolution, 3.7 m short wave infrared resolution and 30 m CAVIS resolution. WorldView-3 has an average revisit time of <1 day and is capable of collecting up to 680,000 km2 per day."

Even from 383 miles (617 km) away, the high-resolution imaging satellite will be able to relay images through obstructions like cloud and smoke.

Although, one lawyer told BBC that he expected "repercussions" from people worried about their privacy. Currently, certain areas around the globe are blurred or obscured on mapping websites for this reason.

The satellite will be operational approximately 90 days after launch, and the company will begin selling images after six months of operation.

The takeoff will be live streamed via United Launch Alliance and can be viewed on their website here.