Members of the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., successfully launched DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-2 high-resolution commercial imagery satellite into polar orbit Oct. 8 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. The satellite is now undergoing a calibration and checkout and is expected to be available for commercial users in approximately 90 days, DigitalGlobe said in a release that same day. WorldView-2 is the latest in the company’s imagery satellites which include the Quickbird and WorldView-1 spacecraft that support the US defense and intelligence sectors, in addition to commercial clients. WorldView-2 will be capable of providing panchromatic imagery at 0.46 meter resolution and multispectral imagery at 1.8 meter resolution. Ball Aerospace built the satellite; ITT supplied the imaging sensor. (Includes Vandenberg report)
Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held meetings with defense leaders from the Philippines, Japan, and South Korea during a trip to the Indo-Pacific this week.