How is satellite data collected?

We operate a fleet of optical and radar Earth observation satellites that orbit the Earth and collect satellite imagery. While some satellites are geostationary in space, rotating at the same speed as Earth so it remains “fixed” in orbit, our satellites are aligned in a polar orbit, orbiting the Earth dozens of times every day around 670km above the Earth.

Airbus satellites include optical and radar payloads (depending on the satellite) used to capture imagery and data over a particular area. The payload is supported by a satellite bus which includes the power, propulsion and other systems that help operate the satellite.

Satellites have very sophisticated antennas, transponders and other instruments that help collect the data. In our case, our optical satellites have sensors that act like a very expensive digital camera with the ability used to capture up to 30cm native resolution imagery. This means that each pixel in the image represents a 30cm x 30cm area on the ground.

Acquiring new satellite imagery is called Tasking. At Airbus, our optical constellation offers state-of-the art tasking capabilities that provide agility and flexibility in space. Our satellites can slew from side-to-side and rotate while in orbit to help collect imagery along its path. This is important so that the satellite can maximize the amount of data it collects, but also for customers to get imagery quickly even when the area they need to collect changes. Airbus provides direct access to our satellites to collect imagery of specific areas in near real-time, even in remote, hard-to-reach or highly demanded areas. 

Satellite agility refers to the ability of a satellite to adjust its orientation or position, enabling it to collect images from different angles and cover wider or multiple targets in a single pass. Agility is critical for responding to changing conditions on the ground, such as avoiding obstacles like cloud cover or adjusting to new imagery priorities. 

Some of the most agile satellites, like the Pléiades Neo and Pléiades satellites, can pivot to observe multiple targets within a single orbit, increasing their overall efficiency and reducing the time needed to capture critical data. In addition to very quick moves from one target to another in a single satellite pass, the SPOT satellite leverages its agility to collect long data strips of up to 600 km, enabling in a very short time broad regional or even national coverage in one or just a few passes.  

This ability to adapt acquisitions benefits governments, military operators and commercial clients who often require versatile options for a range of scenarios: different acquisition modes, resolutions, and spectral bands. 

Whether you need detailed high-resolution new collections or broad multispectral data, our satellites deliver the flexibility that meets your mission requirements.

In the image on the left, the Pléiades Neo satellites demonstrate their agility to meet customer needs. The satellites collected several strips of data in a single pass as well as a high-priority target acquisition on the far western side of the coverage area.

In the image on the left, our satellites demonstrate the ability to collect over a large area. Using multiple collection modes such as multi-acquisition and target, customers can acquire a large amount of data in a single orbit.

Airbus was the first to offer customers flexible tasking options. For decades, users have been able to schedule image acquisitions over their areas of interest - days, weeks or even months in advance. User selections have been supplemented with last minute tasking orders, the latestest weather forecasts as well as automated notifications that allow users to be informed at each step of their tasking request. These notifications allow users to also cancel a Pléiades Neo scheduled collection for a specific day up to two hours before acquisition, if cloudy weather or other poor conditions impact the image acquisition.

Today, Airbus allows customers to directly task our satellites themselves. Through the OneAtlas Data interface, customers may schedule image acquisitions and can select their own tasking parameters, processing options, while generally allowing an acquisition order to be placed just 40 minutes in advance. Pléiades Neo satellites can be scheduled by the user to capture an image in as little as 25 minutes before the satellite passes over a specific AOI. This direct, short-notice tasking is ideal for monitoring natural disasters, emergencies, and other rapidly evolving events that have occurred unexpectedly.

Airbus’ satellite constellation is driving a new era of satellite performance.

Airbus' powerful, unrivalled tasking capabilities not only offer faster, more accurate and versatile acquisition capabilities, but also the flexibility to meet growing customer demands in a rapidly changing world.

Whether you’re monitoring natural disasters or supporting critical missions, our satellites are designed to respond quickly and effectively to your unique needs.

Airbus is committed to providing our customers with the best tasking service available. Learn more about our tasking offer and how to get started today.