Sun, Sep 07, 2008
Boeing's commercial launch business has successfully launched
the GeoEye-1 satellite today aboard a Delta II rocket procured from
United Launch Alliance (ULA). Liftoff occurred, Saturday, at 11:50
a.m. Pacific time from launch pad SLC-2W at Vandenberg Air Force
Base, Calif. The ULA Delta II rocket deployed the spacecraft
approximately 58 minutes after liftoff.
GeoEye-1 will have the highest resolution of any commercial
imaging system, capable of collecting images with a ground
resolution of 16 inches (.41 meters) in panchromatic
(black-and-white) mode. Virginia-based GeoEye is the premier
provider of geospatial information for the national security
community, strategic partners, resellers and commercial
customers.
"This launch signifies Boeing's continued commitment to provide
our commercial customers with the Delta II vehicle, which has a
98.5 percent launch success rate," said Ken Heinly, director of
Boeing's Launch Products & Services and Boeing Launch Services
president.
GeoEye-1 weighs about 4,300 pounds and is designed to take
images of the Earth from 425 miles in space while moving at a speed
of about four-and-a-half miles per second. The satellite will
collect imagery that can distinguish objects on the Earth's surface
as small as 0.41-meters (16 inches) in size in the panchromatic
mode. GeoEye-1 also carries a 1.65-meter resolution multispectral
or color sensor.
Boeing Launch Services is a customer-focused subsidiary that
provides business development, sales, procurement and program
management of Delta launch services for commercial customers. It is
part of the Space Exploration division of Boeing Integrated Defense
Systems and is based in Huntington Beach, Calif.
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