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Editor’s note: Maxar’s product managers have been sharing how more high-resolution imagery from the company’s new WorldView Legion satellites will improve their products. Other blog posts in this series can be found here.

For customers who need absolute control for their missions, Maxar’s satellite access programs provide unprecedented priority access to one of the most technologically advanced Earth imaging constellations in the world. Maxar’s Access Programs allow customers to generate their own collection plans for unmatched control, predictability, speed, and privacy:

• The Rapid Access Program (RAP) provides a secure online platform for tasking the Maxar constellation from anywhere in the world.
• The Direct Access Program (DAP) offers the ultimate solution in privacy, security and speed by deploying a physical ground station at the customer site to directly communicate with the Maxar constellation and process imagery on site.

Currently, Maxar has launched four WorldView Legion satellites and two more will be launched in the coming months. These satellites will elevate Maxar's Access programs to the next level by significantly increasing revisit frequency and 30 cm-class resolution imaging capacity.

Two WorldView Legion satellites were successfully launched on May 2, 2024, into sun-synchronous orbits (SSO) and entered commercial service in October 2024. Two more satellites were successfully launched into mid-inclination orbits (MIO) on August 15, 2024. The final two satellites will also go into MIO.

SSO satellites fly over Earth’s poles and collect imagery at approximately the same local time on every collect, making it predictable when satellites will be overhead. MIO satellites fly over the middle part of Earth, collecting imagery from sunup to sundown and offering more opportunities for imagery collection and intelligence gathering. When the Maxar constellation has 10 satellites in a mix of SSO and MIO, the company will enter a new era of monitoring changes on the Earth's surface.

More collection capacity in the most in-demand regions of the world

Right now, the Maxar constellation collects 3.9 million sq km of imagery per day. When all six WorldView Legion satellites join the constellation, Maxar will collect 6.8 million sq km per day.

As an example, the 40th parallel north runs through Aragon, Spain; Sardinia, Italy; Beijing, China; the Island of Honshū, Japan; and Boulder, Colorado, U.S. The 40th parallel south runs through King Island, Tasmania, Australia; Hawke’s Bay region of New Zealand; Punta Galera, Chile; and Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to World Economic Forum, much of the world’s population lives between those two parallels, which means most of the change happening on Earth is in that same zone. The parts of the globe between those two parallels will see an 85% increase in point collection capacity from the Maxar constellation when all six WorldView Legions are in commercial operations.

Access when and where you need it

The addition of six high-resolution WorldView Legion satellites dramatically enhances Maxar’s Rapid Access and Direct Access Programs by increasing access to 30 cm-class imagery over the most high-demand areas of the globe. Maxar’s constellation will enable our mission partners to have access to unprecedented capabilities to inform and support their missions.