IKONOS Overview

IKONOS History

IKONOS comes from the Greek word for "image". Ikonos-1 was scheduled for launch in 1999, but the launch failed. Ikonos-2 was scheduled for launch in 2000, but was renamed Ikonos and was on 24 September 1999 by Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to replace Ikonos-1. The imaging sensors are
panchromatic and multispectral. This satellite has a polar, circular saws, sun-synchronous 681-kilometer orbit and the two sensors have a swath width of 11 km. Its weight is 1600 pounds (720 kg). Space Imaging was ORBIMAGE to GeoEye.

About IKONOS

The IKONOS Satellite is a high-resolution satellite operated by GeoEye. Its capabilities include capturing a 3.2m multispectral, Near-Infrared (NIR)/0.82m panchromatic resolution at nadir. Its applications include both urban and rural mapping of natural resources and of natural disasters, tax mapping, agriculture and forestry analysis, mining, engineering, construction, and change detection. It can yield relevant data for nearly all aspects of environmental study. IKONOS images have also been procured by SIC for use in the media and motion picture industries, providing aerial views and satellite photos for many areas around the world. Its high resolution data makes an integral contribution to homeland security, coastal monitoring and facilitates 3D Terrain analysis.

When GeoEye successfully launched the IKONOS® satellite in 1999, it made history with the world’s first one-meter commercial remote sensing satellite. Since then, GeoEye has set the standard for quickly delivering large volumes of tonally balanced, map accurate, mosaicked images for a variety of industries and applications. To date, IKONOS, derived from the Greek word for "image," has collected more than 275 million square kilometers of imagery that is readily available in our digital archive.

Moving over the ground at approximately seven kilometers per second, IKONOS collects black-and-white and multispectral data at a rate of over 2,000 square kilometers per minute. IKONOS satellite imagery provides access to any location on the Earth’s surface. Through the nearly fifteen, 98-minute journeys it makes around the globe each day, IKONOS collects vital statistics about the Earth’s ever-changing features—from fluctuations in land and water resources to the build-out of new urban areas. Commercial and governmental organizations rely on GeoEye’s high-resolution imagery to view, map, measure, monitor and manage global activities. Applications range from national security and disaster assessment to urban planning and agricultural monitoring. Drawing on the spectacular views from IKONOS, the possibilities are endless.


References:
- Wikipedia, IKONOS.
- Satellite Imaging Corporation, Ikonos Satellite Images and Sensor Spesifications.
- ITT, IKONOS Satellite.
- GeoEye, Image Product IKONOS.

IKONOS Images Characteristic


Satellite Orbital

Organization GeoEye
Mission Type Earth observation
Contractor Lockheed Martin Space Systems
Satellite of Earth
Launch September 24, 1999 on an Athena 2
Launch site Vandenberg Air Force Base
Mission duration 7 years
Mass 726 kg (launch)
Semimajor Axis 7056.97 km
Eccentricity 0.00013
Inclination 98.10 degrees, sun synchronous
Orbital Period 98.33 minutes
Right ascension of the ascending node 68.015 degrees
Argument of perigee 93.06 degrees
Speed on Orbit





















7.5 kilometers per second

Speed Over the Ground





















6.8 kilometers per second

Revolutions Around the Earth





















14.7, every 24 hours

Altitude





















681 kilometers

Resolution at Nadir





















0.82 m panchromatic; 3.2 m multispectral

Resolution 26° Off-Nadir





















1.0 m panchromatic; 4.0 m multispectral

Image Swath





















11.3 kilometers at nadir; 13.8 kilometers at 26° off-nadir

Equator Crossing Time





















Nominally 10:30 AM solar time

Revisit Time





















Approximately 3 days at 40° latitude

Dynamic Range





















11-bits per pixel

Image Bands





















Panchromatic, blue, green, red, near IR



Sensor Characteristic

Sensor Band Spectral Range Scene Size Pixel Res
Multi-spectral 1 = Blue 455 - 520 nm 11 x 11 km 4 meter
2 = Green 510 - 600 nm
3 = Red 630 - 700 nm
4 = NIR 760 - 850 nm
Panchromatic Pan 450 - 900 nm 1 meter


References:
- Wikipedia, IKONOS.
- Satellite Imaging Corporation, Ikonos Satellite Images and Sensor Spesifications.

Detail Data Ordering


Data Acquisition
IKONOS was launched on September 24, 1999, and is owned and operated by Space Imaging, Inc. The data were first available January 1, 2000. Space Imaging, Inc. distributes IKONOS imagery under the product name CARTERRA.
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Timing
For areas of interest (AOI) less than 500 sq km, it takes 10 to 14 days to receive archived imagery; 60 days if the imagery must be collected. For all other image products, it can take up to 120 days.
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Cost
The prices of IKONOS imagery vary based on the accuracy of the product's georeferencing and any special data requests (i.e., different swath size, viewing angle, etc.). Price information can be found at the Space Imaging, Inc. Web site.
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Data Formats/Software Needed
Choice of untiled GeoTIFF or uncompressed NITF (National Imagery Transmission Format) 2.0. NITF format is available to approved government customers and supports 3-band 8-bit data, or 4 separate bands at 8-bit or 11-bit. Resellers also offer IKONOS imagery in a variety of formats.
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Projections

Supported Projections:
Choice of Universal Transverse Mercator, State Plane, Albers Conic Equal Area, Lambert Conformal Conic, or Transverse Mercator.

Supported Datums:
Choice of World Geodetic System of 1984 (WGS84), North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83), or North American Datum of 1927 (NAD27). WGS84 available worldwide. NAD83 available in North America only. NAD27 available in CONUS only.

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Licensing
All IKONOS imagery has user license agreements. The degree of licensing depends on the type of user and the intent for the data. The different licensing categories and costs can be obtained from Space Imaging, Inc.


References:
- NOAA,
Remote Sensing for Coastal Management.