Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services (LMCLS) will launch the WorldView-3 commercial remote sensing spacecraft, placing it into orbit on August 13 for DigitalGlobe, a leading provider of commercial high-resolution earth observation and advanced geospatial solutions. WorldView-3 will be launched aboard an Atlas V.
The launch is scheduled for 11:29 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time from Space Launch Complex-3E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Photo: Lockheed Martin/United Launch Alliance
LMCLS is the exclusive provider of Atlas rockets to all non-U.S. government customers. With dedicated launch sites, unparalleled orbital insertion accuracy, and 116 consecutive successful launches to date, Atlas is unmatched for performance, reliability and schedule assurance.
WorldView-3 is the first multi-payload, super-spectral, high-resolution commercial satellite for earth observations and advanced geospatial solutions. Operating at an expected altitude of 617 km, WorldView-3 will have an average revisit time of less than one day and will be capable of collecting up to 680,000 square kilometers of imagery per day, further enhancing DigitalGlobe’s capacity for rapid and reliable collection. The range of customer applications enabled by the DigitalGlobe constellation is expanded by WorldView-3’s ability to sense both the visible spectrum as well as deeper into the infrared spectrum. Its data-rich imagery will enable customers to search for new sources of minerals and fuels, manage forests and farms, and accelerate DigitalGlobe’s exploitation of Geospatial Big Data™ – a living digital inventory of the surface of the earth.
LMCLS, a business unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation, provides Atlas V launch services to all non-U.S. government satellite customers worldwide and also offers Athena launch services for small satellites and multi-payload RideShare missions. LMCLS is responsible for contracts, licensing, marketing, sales and mission management for Atlas and Athena missions. Under subcontract to LMCLS, United Launch Alliance provides Atlas launch vehicles and launch support services.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 113,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services. The Corporation’s net sales for 2013 were $45.4 billion.