WASHINGTON — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched two Earth observation satellites for Maxar Intelligence Feb. 4, completing the deployment of the company’s next-generation WorldView Legion constellation.
The rocket lifted off at 6:13 p.m. Eastern from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, piercing through dense fog that shrouded the launch complex.
The mission marks a significant milestone for Maxar, a Colorado-based provider of geospatial intelligence, as it finalizes the deployment of its fleet of high-resolution imaging spacecraft.
Maxar said the completed network will dramatically enhance Earth observation capabilities, with satellites positioned in both mid-inclination and sun-synchronous orbits. This dual-orbit architecture enables up to 15 daily passes over specific locations, tripling the company’s capacity to collect its highest-resolution imagery.
The satellites can capture images with 30-centimeter resolution, detailed enough to identify objects approximately the size of a car hood from orbit. This capability serves various customers, from government agencies to commercial enterprises requiring frequent, detailed Earth imagery.
The launch Tuesday evening follows two previous successful WorldView Legion deployments by SpaceX in May and August 2024.
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